SUNDAY 15TH DECEMBER 2024

Nigeria's Crude Oil Output to Increase as Shettima Inaugurates $315m FPSO in Dubai

Lagos Partners Private Investors to Tackle Brain Drain, Medical Tourism with World-class Hospital in Ikoyi

Chairman of Iwosan

Limited, Mr. Fola Adeola; Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Chief Executive Officer, Iwosan Investments, Fola Laoye; former Chief Executive Officer, Airtel Africa, Mr. Segun Ogunsanya; and Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, at the groundbreaking of the Lagos Medipark in Lagos…yesterday SUNDAY ADIGUN

Ejiofor Alike in Lagos, Deji Elumoye and Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Nigeria’s crude oil production will rise by 30,000 barrels per day (bpd) as Vice President Kashim Shettima

Tinubu: I Will Keep Working for Nigeria, Not Engaging in Blame Games

Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo

President Bola Tinubu has reiterated his commitment to ensuring that Nigeria works for everyone rather than engaging in blame games.

Speaking at the 48th convocation ceremony of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, he said he has embraced

Trump, as his senior adviser on Arab and Middle-East Affairs, dismissing media attacks on him as fake news.

This is just as media insinuations that Boulos is not sufficiently exposed for the top job have been dismissed by a close Nigerian associate, Magnus Onyibe.

Boulos, who is presently Managing Director of SCOA Nigeria Plc, has been selected by Trump to be his top adviser for Arab and Middle East Affairs, a choice that has faced criticism in some quarters.

He has been tagged as a truck salesman among other things on

both the assets and liabilities of his predecessors.

Represented by the Special Adviser to the President on Economy, Office of the Vice President, Tope Fasua, the president said his reform policies were aimed at making Nigeria work for everyone, adding that the pains that come with the reform must

account of his role as head of SCOA Nigeria.

But a statement issued by the spokeswoman for Trump-Vance Transition, Karoline Leavitt, on Friday alleged that “The Fake News is falsely attacking Mr. Boulos and his family’s long history of running successful companies as part of their mission to derail President Trump’s agenda and exceptional team.”

The rebuttal by the Trump-Vance Transition described Boulos, the fatherin-law to Trump’s daughter, Tiffany, as a highly respected businessman who has proudly served as the CEO of some

be endured at the moment.

He noted that he was not unaware of the harsh economic situation of the country, neither was he taking pleasure in inflicting pain and anguish on his compatriots.

Tinubu said the country is faced with the stark reality of the results of some policies hitherto executed by past administrations

of his family’s group of companies based in West Africa for more than 27 years, adding that his family has employed tens of thousands of people around the globe.

The statement added that Boulos has degrees in both business and law and listed SCOA Nigeria PLC, a member of the FADOUL Group and a well-known conglomerate that exclusively represented numerous global brands for decades as part of the Boulos family group companies that have been very successful in the Nigerian market providing high-end products and specialised services to

but which had no direct positive impact on the generality of our people, adding however, that he has gladly accepted the assets and liability of the past without any intention of apportioning blames or pointing a finger at any individual or group of people.

“Fellow Nigerians, I am not unaware of the harsh economic

the largest companies in the country.

“SCOA is also part of the Fadoul Group, which is one of the largest privately-owned family businesses in West and Central Africa with a presence in 10 different countries since its founding in 1966,” the statement said, adding that “The FADOUL Group employs more than 20,000 hardworking people and that the Boulos and Fadoul family companies have developed into a family group with over $1 billion in value and hundreds of millions in assets.”

Reports said Boulos père helped Trump’s campaign woo Arab-American

LAGOS PARTNERS PRIVATE INVESTORS TO TACKLE BRAIN DRAIN, MEDICAL TOURISM WITH WORLD-CLASS HOSPITAL IN IKOYI

Segun James and Wale Igbintade

As Nigeria continues to suffer the effects of brain drain and medical tourism due to a lack of medical facilities and equipment, the Lagos State Government is partnering with private investors to build the best and most modern medical facility in Ikoyi to stem the tide.

Speaking yesterday during the groundbreaking ceremony of the world-class medical facility at Lagos Medipark in Ikoyi, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu commended the Chairman of Iwosan Investments Limited, Mr. Fola Adeola, and the CoFounder and CEO of the company, Mrs. Fola Laoye for their vision.

The initiative, which is a PrivatePublic Partnership (PPP), is to build a befitting hospital that addresses the medical challenges plaguing the country.

Speaking at the event, SanwoOlu reaffirmed his administration’s steadfast commitment to creating an environment conducive to the growth of both local and foreign businesses.

He said: "It speaks to the real fibre of why we're in government, which is to create an enabling environment where businesses can thrive, where the private sector can be the true owners of the economy, where they can believe, where you can unlock investment, where people can, for one, trust the government and believe that indeed when you have the right set of people in governance things can also work and work very well.”

The governor recalled: "This journey started in 2020; it's very easy for all of us to forget when COVID-19 struck. It was such a difficult time for everyone. Everybody didn't know how things were going to turn out. And they came together."

"But this place, we said, we can't do it all by ourselves. And we set up to do things transparently and to expect that the best in class is what we secure.

"And one of the things that I would also say here is that our consortium had kept together for almost three to four years.

Sanwo-Olu continued: "If we cannot, as a people that God has blessed, that our investment has risen, throwback into what will outlive all of us, then we're not starting it," Sanwo-Olu noted.

He added: "And I'm saying it publicly again, if there are still waivers, if there are still things that are required for this to go and to

do well, we will give it to you.

"Because we need to make the clear case. We need to change the narrative. We need to make our environment investor-friendly. We need to make our environment able to compete with any other environment we find ourselves in.

"My charge to all of us here today is to see that in two years, we're back here to commission phase one of it,” Sanwo-Olu explained.

In his speech, the initiator of the project and Chairman of Iwosan Investments Limited, Mr. Adeola, described the facility as a vital response to Nigeria's pressing healthcare challenges.

He stressed that the Lagos Medipark is not merely an investment in infrastructure, but a community-centred initiative aimed at transforming healthcare by bridging gaps in medical access, innovation, and training.

“This project is not just about building a hospital; it’s about creating a community where health and well-being are prioritised.

“We are building a hub for innovation and compassion that will not only benefit Lagos but also empower the healthcare sector across the continent," he added.

Adeola also noted that the Medipark initiative exemplifies a successful public-private partnership, with capital invested to develop sustainable healthcare infrastructure.

He reassured stakeholders that despite the long-term nature of the project, the returns on investment would be significant.

"As you can see, this mangrove concept ties the entire site together, like a mangrove does within an ecosystem. The imaging building here forms a buffer to the main hospital, which is the blue building. The imaging has x-rays, fluoroscopy, MRI, scanners, CT scanners, ultrasound, mammography, sample collections, and all the laboratory and testing equipment.

"The hospital is blue, which will be in two phases. The hospital on the ground floor will have the main entrance, offices, emergency, huge emergency and the radiation and oncology examination.

"We have four operating theatres. And on the third floor, of course, labour wards, NICU, and ICU,” he explained.

On her part, the Co-Founder and CEO of Iwosan Investments, Mrs. Laoye, described the project as a 40-year design-build-operatemaintain-transfer concession agreement between the IASO

consortium and the Lagos State Government.

"The Lagos Medipark is designed specifically to address these gaps. It will feature a 140-bed multi-specialist hospital offering acute care services in areas such as cardiac, renal, and cancer care, as well as surgery, mother and child services, and critical care. The park will also include a state-ofthe-art diagnostics centre and other essential support facilities.

"The Medipark aims to reduce the hospital bed shortage, enhance healthcare workforce training, and curb medical tourism. In addition to

healthcare, the Medipark will serve as a multifunctional hub, integrating residential spaces, seminar rooms, and commercial offices, creating a community where people can live, work, and access quality care - all in one place,” she added.

In his remarks, the state Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, said: "We don't really want to think about a 40,000-bed deficit in Lagos. We are in the digital age. And so, we've launched the Lagos State Smart Health Information Platform, which is going to help us to convert some of those beds to virtual beds."

to 30,000 bpd is expected to depart for Nigeria in the first quarter of 2025 and commence production at the Okwok Oil Field in the first half of 2025.

This is just as the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) has taken its ongoing stakeholders' sensitisation programme on the efficient use of petroleum products to Taraba State, where drivers and park operators showed significant interest in the usage of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as a vehicular fuel.

Vice President Shettima, who represented President Bola Tinubu at the inauguration and naming ceremony of the vessel, described the facility as more than just a maritime infrastructure project.

According to Shettima, the facility is a pointer to the success of President Tinubu’s reforms in the oil and gas sector as well as Nigeria’s growing global influence.

Speaking while inaugurating the oil facility at the Drydocks World Dubai Shipyard in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, the Vice President, in a statement issued by his Media Assistant, Stanley Nkwocha, pointed out that what sets Nigerians apart is not merely the audacity of their ambition, but their unique understanding of where the world is headed.

He said: “This FPSO vessel is more than just a technological achievement; it is a symbol of Nigeria’s ambition and our readiness to meet global energy demands. Under President Tinubu’s leadership, we are witnessing the transformation of the oil and gas sector, which is central to our economic revitalisation efforts".

The vice president lauded the Executive Chairman of Oriental Energy Resources Limited,

situation of our country, nor do I take pleasure in inflicting pain and anguish on my compatriots. However, we were faced with the stark reality of results of some policies hitherto executed by past administrations but which had no direct positive impact on the generality of our people. We have gladly accepted the assets and liability of our heroes' past without any intention of apportioning blame or pointing an accusing finger at any individual or group of people.”

voters, especially in the battleground state of Michigan—where Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign struggled with dissatisfaction over the Biden administration’s handling of the war in Gaza

A close Nigerian associate of Boulos, Onyibe, a former Delta State Commissioner for Information and a non-executive director at SCOA Nigeria Plc, has also declared that Boulos is more than qualified for the job from his observation working with him in close quarters.

Onyibe in a statement said the media criticisms are not only misguided but also dismissive of the remarkable track record of both the man and the companies he has been instrumental in nurturing.

“For instance, SCOA Nigeria PLC, where Mr. Boulos serves as Managing Director/CEO, is far from being just another company. It is a formidable force in Nigeria’s industrial and economic landscape. With roots spanning over four decades, it holds the distinction of being the first European automotive assembly plant in Nigeria.

“In the 1970’s, SCOA Nigeria PLC made a name for itself by assembling Peugeot 404 and then 504 pickup trucks at its assembly plant at Apapa, Lagos and service center at its Lapal House facility on Lagos Island. Today, the company continues this proud legacy, assembling, distributing, and marketing M.A.N trucks and buses,

The president implored all Nigerians to cooperate with him to endure this unintentional hardship so that all Nigerians can celebrate and be celebrated at the end of the day.

power generators, tractors, agricultural equipment, industrial equipment and other heavy-duty construction and mining machinery critical to Nigeria’s key sectors.

“SCOA Nigeria PLC’s clients include some of the most prominent and respected names in Nigeria’s construction industry, such as Julius Berger—widely regarded as the nation’s leading construction firm—Lafarge Africa PLC, a major cement producer, the Chagoury Group, renowned for developing the prestigious Banana Island, a premier residential enclave in Lagos, the DANGOTE Group, and many others.

“Beyond trucks, SCOA Nigeria PLC is a trusted supplier of concrete, road construction and mining equipment, partnering with leading infrastructure companies to drive Nigeria’s development. For example, Julius Berger relies heavily on SCOA’s equipment for large-scale projects, including the 376km Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano highway and the 43.6km Lagos-Shagamu stretch of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and the Abuja-Kano Highway. Similarly, Hi-Tech Construction, currently working on the 700km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Lagos-Badagry-Sokoto road network, depends significantly on SCOA PLC for the machinery and technology required to execute these ambitious projects, aimed at enhancing connectivity and trade across Nigeria’s southern, central, and northern regions.”

NIGERIA'S CRUDE OIL OUTPUT TO INCREASE AS SHETTIMA INAUGURATES $315M FPSO IN DUBAI

Muhammadu Indimi for his remarkable contributions to the industry.

“Over the decades, Alhaji Muhammadu Indimi has stood as a model businessman and symbol of excellence in the oil and gas industry. So, it’s not surprising that his vision has transformed Oriental Energy Resources Limited into a global phenomenon.

“This outcome testifies to what is possible when ambition is matched with perseverance and expertise. His journey reminds us that Nigeria is a land of opportunity, and with dedication, there is no limit to what we can achieve.”

Expressing delight in the project, Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, said, "Today is one of my happiest moments to stand before this gathering. I make my brief remark because Alhaji Ndimi is from Borno State, and I'm happy to note that the production of this vessel was born 100 per cent by his own company, which has never happened in Nigeria. This goes to show how committed Alhaji Mohammed Ndimi is to the growth and development of not only Borno State but the entire country."

On his part, Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, applauded Indimi, and his technical partners, noting that to truly appreciate the oil mogul, it would be best to know that he wasn't the only person that was allocated an oil block in the 90s.

Earlier, while welcoming the Vice President and his entourage to the event, Indimi revealed that the facility is the first FPSO to be fully funded by a Nigerian indigenous company.

The vessel named ENEM FPSO, Ndimi added, has heralded an effort for an indigenous Nigerian oil and gas company to independently develop a marginal field, stressing that it is

an important milestone for Nigeria and its indigenous oil and gas sector.

"When operating at full capacity we expect the Okwok Oil Field to produce up to 30,000 barrels of oil a day, significantly enhancing Nigeria’s oil production and contributing to the government’s ambition to increase oil revenue to fund Nigeria’s development.

"The Okwok field is just one step towards our long-term ambition to deliver 100,000 barrels of oil per day of production in Nigeria. We have a strong set of proven assets and a development pipeline that can deliver it.”

In his remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of Drydocks Dubai, Dr. Antolovic Rado, stated that the vessel, when fully operational, will contribute significantly to the sustainable development of the Okwok oil field region and would support economic growth and energy security.

On his part, a representative of partners, HBA & World Carriers Corporation, Mr Hassan Basma, said the vessel, EMEM, with many features, is significant in many ways, especially being the first of its kind (indigenous-owned project) in Nigeria, financed wholly in Nigeria and predominantly done by a Nigerian workforce.

Meanwhile, the NNPC Limited has taken its ongoing stakeholders' sensitisation programme to Taraba State, where drivers and park operators showed significant interest in the usage of CNG.

Just like the earlier sensitisation exercise in Maiduguri, Borno State, some lucky stakeholders went home with gift items and freebies following raffle draws at various motor parks.

The sensitisation exercise is part of NNPC's efforts to increase

awareness and core understanding of the oil and gas industry's role in national development while schooling stakeholders on the efficient use of petroleum products.

Tagged: NNPC & You, the sensitisation campaign got off to a flying start at the popular Taraba State Transport Company (TSTC), Park in Jalingo with commercial vehicle drivers and park operators commending the state-owned company for the introduction of CNG as a viable alternative to petrol.

TSTC Park Manager, Abdullahi Musa while commending the company for the CNG initiative however appealed that the product be made available to motorists in the state.

He also called on NNPC Ltd. to extend the hours of operation of Its retail outlets to improve service delivery and eliminate queues.

At the Jalingo main motor park, Danjuma Hayatu called on NNPC to enforce existing regulations which prohibit the sale of petrol in kegs and jerry cans noting that though "nobody can buy fuel in cans inside NNPC Retail stations" we find people hawking fuel on the streets of Jalingo. At the Pullo Motor Park, Ali Salandy Wukari echoed the CNG request and appealed to NNPC Ltd. to work out a hire purchase arrangement that would enable drivers and vehicle operators to have access to the CNG-powered vehicles under a pocket-friendly approach.

The NNPC team later visited two more major parks in Taraba namely: The People Choice and NARTO Park where stakeholders harped on the need for the state-owned company to sustain the sensitisation exercise by making the programme a periodic event and not a one-off activity.

END-OF-YEAR DINNER...

L-R: Executive Director, Finance and Risk Management, UBA PLC, Ugo Nwagbodoh; Emeritus Professor of Microbiology, University of Lagos, Prof. Olukayode Amund; President, Cranfield University, UK (Nigeria Alumni)/ Managing Partner, L’ecole Consulting, Mrs Evbusogie Osojie; Managing Director/CEO, Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority, Dr. Adedeji Ashiru; Digital and Technology Director, Nigeria Breweries PLC, Philomena Aneke; Managing Director/CEO Homebase Mortgage Bank, Dr. Femi Johnson, and Chief Executive Officer, Open Data Access Centre, Dr. Ayotunde Coker, at the annual Cranfield University, UK (Nigeria alumni) end-of-year dinner in Lagos…recently

Access Holdings, Three Other Banks’ Subsidiaries

in UK Contribute 6.8% to PBT in H1 2024

Kayode Tokede

A total of four Nigerian banks with subsidiaries in the United Kingdom (UK) contributed about 6.8 per cent of the overall N2.48 trillion profit before tax (PBT) generated in the half year ended June 30, 2024.

The four banks are UBA UK, The Access Bank UK, GTBank UK, and Zenith Bank UK.

Extracts from the audited H1 2024 result and accounts showed that the combined four Tier-1 banks UK subsidiaries generated N168.04 billion PBT in H1 2024, about 179 per cent increase over N60.17 billion reported in H1 2023.

In the first H1 of 2024, the UK economy demonstrated a mixed but generally improving trajectory as Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew modestly, with a forecast annual growth of 1.1 per cent for 2024.

Inflation eased significantly,

averaging 2.5 per cent in 2024, largely due to declining energy and food prices.

However, core inflation (excluding volatile energy and food prices) remained more persistent, reflecting ongoing pressures in services and other sectors.

In addition, The Bank of England held interest rates steady at 5.25 per cent in the first half of the year as against Nigeria at 26.25 per cent where these banks generated huge profits with interest rates as of the first half of 2024.

From the audited H1 2024 results and accounts, THISDAY gathered that Access Bank UK generated the highest profit, followed by Zenith Bank UK.

As Access Holdings generated N348.9 billion PBT in H1 2024 from N167.6 billion in H1 2023, its UK subsidiary declared N111.2 billion PBT in H1 2024 from N31.9

ASUP Suspends Strike, Directs Members to Resume Work Monday

Funmi Ogundare

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has suspended its two-week warning strike and directed its members nationwide to resume duties on Monday.

The union had embarked on a two-week strike on December 2 over neglect of the polytechnics’ education in Nigeria and other issues.

However, in a statement dated December 12 and made available to newsmen at the weekend, the ASUP National President, Shammah Kpanja, said the union suspended the strike following a meeting with officials of the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

Kpanja said a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with a caveat that another meeting would be held on January 23, 2025, to end the industrial dispute.

The ASUP president stated that the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) will meet to review the situation ahead of the meeting with the government in January.

The statement reads, “The general public may recall that

our union declared a two-week definite strike effective December 2, 2024, over the inability of the government through its agencies to execute nine items in the work plan jointly developed with our Union to resolve some pending issues of trade dispute.

“You will also recall that a strike was declared to serve as a warning and precursor to an indefinite strike.

“Within the period of the strike, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment convened a conciliation meeting between our Union and the government on the 9th of December 2024 to resolve the dispute and save the sector from the impending indefinite strike.

“At the meeting, a new memorandum of understanding was signed with a caveat that another meeting will be held on 23rd January 2025 to assess compliance by parties as well as to address other issues.

“After this meeting, the union’s National Executive Council will meet to review the situation.

“In view of this development, all members of the Union are directed to resume duties from Monday 16th December 2024.”

billion reported in H1 2023.

Access Bank UK ranked second behind Access Bank Nigeria in terms of profit generation for the group.

Access Bank Nigeria, in the period under review, generated N170.91 billion PBT in H1 2024 up from N113.93 billion in H1 2023.

Access Bank UK has been pivotal in promoting NigeriaUK economic ties, leveraging its parent company's strong presence in Africa. Its strategic location in London enables it to act as a bridge for investors and companies exploring opportunities in Africa and Europe.

This focus on innovation and customer-centric solutions has made Access Bank UK a key player in the African banking diaspora in the UK.

The Pan-African financial institution in a presentation stated that “The strategic expansion into higher-rated geographies continues to yield positive results, driving organic growth and sustained earnings.

“This growth is attributed to the scale built into the business and the cumulative impact of favourable currency conversions on the balance sheet, providing a natural hedge against foreign exchange volatility.

“Additionally, diversifying operations across different markets has mitigated risks associated with single country exposure, enhancing its resilience and ability to withstand economic shocks. This approach has contributed to a more balanced and robust financial performance, strengthening the

Yakubu Hail, Hearty,

The Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Rotimi Oyekanmi, has urged the public to disregard the news making the rounds in some sections of the media about the purported death of the commission’s chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.

Oyekanmi, in a statement issued yesterday, recalled that mischief-

group's overall profitability and long-term sustainability.”

Access Bank recently expanded its presence in South Africa by reaching an agreement to acquire 100 per cent of Bidvest Bank, a South African financial institution focused on corporate, business, and retail banking.

The acquisition, according to the report, is valued at $159 million and is part of Access Bank's broader strategy to strengthen its footprint across Africa and establish itself as a key player in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.

In the period under review, Zenith Bank UK reported N38.72 billion PBT in H1 2024, representing an increase of 101 per cent from the N19.23billion reported in H1 2023, followed by GTBank UK,

which announced N10.98billion PBT in H1 2024, about a 127 per cent increase over the N4.83billion in H1 2023.

In addition, UBA UK Limited announced N7.2 billion PBT in H1 2024, up by 71.4 per cent from N4.2 billion reported in H1 2023. UBA UK is a direct conduit for the Nigerian trade sector, supporting the growth in international trade by providing country-tailored solutions from an international hub with seamless trade finance services. This is evidenced by the continuous growth in trade transactions during the year 2023. “UBA UK acts as a bridge, optimizing trade across Africa, the UK, Europe and the Middle East,” the UBA group explained in a presentation to investors and analysts.

INEC Debunks Death Rumour

makers on social media carried a similar fake story in 2021, saying that three years later, they are spreading the same rumour again.

He said: “Our attention has been drawn to a fake news narrative circulated by a section of the social media claiming the purported death of the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu at a London hospital. The story first appeared on Monday, 9th December 2024.

“We hereby appeal to the public

to disregard the rumour. Prof. Yakubu is alive, hale and hearty.

In fact, he has not travelled to London in the last two years. He was present at an interactive meeting with the House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters on Wednesday, December 11, 2024.

“He also chaired the commission’s meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners on Thursday, December 12, 2024. Both events were widely covered on television

and reported on the front pages of most newspapers yesterday, Friday, December 13, 2024.

“Those who indulge in this practice, as well as those who spread it, should be mindful of its effect not only on the individual but also the wider society.

“The commission will continue to work with genuine media professionals to combat the scourge of fake news and the danger it poses to society.”

Tax Reform: Tinubu is the Bold, Courageous Leader Nigerians Need, Says Dogara

Fidelis David in Akure

A former Speaker of the House of Representatives and Chancellor of the Achievers University, Owo, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has said that he supported the reforms embarked upon by President Bola Tinubu because “it is the right thing to do.”

Dogara said President Tinubu has shown courage as a leader ‘who is prepared to lead with unbridled courage even at personal cost.”

Dogara, who spoke at the 14th convocation ceremony of the Achievers University, Owo, said any further delay in carrying out the tax reform and other initiatives would mean cowardice.

He said the country has stagnated in terms of advancement in its economy due to a lack of courageous leaders.

The former speaker said the country had practised reactionary leadership rather than the leadership that innovates and is forwardlooking.

“We have practised this model of leadership that is based on weakness. It has taken us nowhere.

The president's reforms in local government have reinforced more leadership to the third tier of government. What the president did with the local government was a master stroke.

“To give in to a cheap argument

because things are tough and he should back off is cowardice. We have a courageous leader.

“With what President Bola Tinubu has done, whether it’s the freeing of local government areas from the choke-hold of economic stagnation the states had hitherto subjected them to or the groundbreaking bold tax reforms proposals he had placed before the National Assembly, I see a glimmer of hope that we may be dealing with a leader who is prepared to lead with unbridled courage even at personal cost.

“It gladdens my heart that we are now dealing with a leader who is not avoiding stubborn tasks and is very much unwilling to put off

difficult conversations.

“With him, courage has become a habit and that habit has the power to transform our leadership as the miracles we are desperately yearning for may well lie in the tasks and difficult conversations we are avoiding.

“I support the president's tax reforms not because they are perfect but because it is the right thing to do.

“However, I must concede the fact that those opposed to it have the right to do so but I do not share their jaundiced nay tenuous and puerile position that because they disagree with some aspects of the reforms, then the reforms must be withdrawn or killed.

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

LAW SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT...

Commodification of Naira: CBN to Impose N150m Fine on Banks Releasing Notes to Hawkers

Says fine to be paid by affected bank branch for first violation Insists subsequent infractions to attract stricter sanctions

James Emejo in Abuja

As part of the efforts to stop the commodification of new naira notes, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has announced that it will impose a fine of N150 million per branch on Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) found guilty of facilitating the illegal flow of mint naira notes to currency hawkers and unscrupulous agents.

Under the new directive, any branch of a financial institution found culpable will face a penalty of N150 million for the first violation.

Subsequent infractions, the CBN warned, would attract stricter sanctions under the provisions of the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA) 2020.

The apex bank disclosed this in a circular issued yesterday, which was signed by the Acting Director of the Currency Operations Department, Mohammed Olayemi.

The circular revealed that the CBN is concerned about the increasing prevalence of mint naira notes being traded by hawkers, a practice the bank described as impeding efficient and

effective cash distribution to customers and the general public.

The circular, which referred to an earlier directive dated November 13, 2024, highlighted the apex bank’s determination to address the commodification of the naira.

To ensure compliance, the apex bank stated that it would increase periodic spot checks in banking halls and ATMs while deploying mystery shoppers to uncover illicit cash hawking spots across the country.

The circular read, “The CBN has noted with dismay the prevalence of

illicit flow of mint banknotes to currency hawkers and other unscrupulous economic agents that commodify Naira banknotes, thus impeding efficient and effective cash distribution to banks’ customers and the general public.

“CBN will continue to intensify the periodic spot checks to the banking halls/ATMs to review cash payouts to banks’ customers, as well as mystery shopping to all identified cash hawking spots across the country.

“In this regard, any erring deposit money banks or financial institutions that are culpable of facilitating, aiding, or

abetting, by direct actions or inactions, the illicit flow of mint banknotes to currency hawkers and unscrupulous economic agents that commodify Naira banknotes shall be penalised at first instance N150,000,000.00 only, per erring branch, and at later instances, apply the full weight of relevant provisions of BOFIA 2020.”

The CBN further urged DMBs to strengthen controls, processes, and procedures around their Cash Management Centres, branches, and teller operations to prevent their systems from being exploited for illegal transactions.

spot checks, which aim to discourage the abuse of naira notes and ensure the responsible distribution of cash, especially as the festive season approaches. According to the circular, the initiatives are designed to prevent the flow of newly minted banknotes to hawkers and support efficient cash disbursement to the public.

Sack Distracting Cabinet Members, Focus on

Governance, Bauchi Gov Tells Tinubu

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt Governor of Bauchi State and Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum, Senator Bala Mohammed, has advised President Bola Tinubu to focus on governance and remove those he described as excess baggage from his administration. Mohammed made the call yesterday, while inaugurating the 14.1km Umuakali-Eberi-Omodu Road project in Omuma Local Government Area (LGA) of Rivers State, which was constructed by Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s administration.

"There are those in your cabinet and around you that are both creating bad eggs. They are making you fail, and we don't want you to fail because we will be affected,”

Mohammed told the president. Mohammed, who advised President Tinubu to be wary of some of the people working with him, said: "In my religion and tradition, we are supposed to pray for leaders because when the leaders are good, the country and the communities will be good. We are still praying that you shine your eyes and throw away those excess baggage and bring good people. We mean well; we are not just criticising; we are trying to say, please correct your ways so that you can succeed. If you succeed, we succeed."

He expressed joy over the success of governance in Rivers State despite the fierce political antagonism against Governor Fubara.

He said, "My day is made

and ended very well for me to have found myself here in the midst of the hope for Nigeria. The hope for Nigeria because of the good governance that is being established. Governor Siminalayi Fubara is not only a simple, sincere, very polite and quiet person, but a performer par excellence.

"Mr. Governor, I am sorry that I underestimated you. When you told me that there is no need to join issues, there is no need to be worried, and that you were never provoked, I have seen the attestation of that today, because in the midst of all the distractions, I have seen work being done.

He noted, "Nigerians have seen the difference between us, the PDP and those in power. The arrogance, the impunity, the name-calling, the grandstanding, the ownership of

government and governance as if it is personal.

"We should know the time that we have to leave. We should leave and give chance to those that have come in to perform after us. And not to sabotage, not to do things that have a negative impact on your immediate environment. Doing so is not acceptable to me, and that is why we are parting ways with some people."

Earlier in his remarks, Governor Fubara, expressed faith and confidence in the nation's judiciary, saying it remains the last hope of the common man.

The governor expressed appreciation to the judiciary for its assuring strides, and advised Nigerians to keep faith alive and refuse to be swayed negatively by recent happenings.

Abbas: N’Assembly Committed to Driving Economic Growth, Enhancing National Security, Others

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, yesterday said that the major focus of the 10th Assembly is to help drive the nation’s economic growth, enhance national security, and improve access to healthcare.

The Speaker, who spoke at a retreat for members of the House of Representatives Press Corps organised under the Parliamentary Development Programme, said the House was also

committed to reforming the education sector and advancing good governance.

He said in line with this, the House has passed about 89 bills since its inauguration, which has helped drive the activities of the country and the Nigerian people.

He commended the unwavering dedication, professionalism, and commitment of the media to bridging the gap between lawmakers and the citizens.

He said: “Through your diligent reporting, millions of Nigerians gain

insights into our legislative processes, decisions, and their impact on daily lives. This partnership between the legislature and the media is essential for achieving our core priorities of fostering robust citizen engagement.

“Your work informs and empowers citizens to actively participate in governance and hold leaders accountable.

“The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) has consistently highlighted the pivotal role of the media in strengthening parliamentary democracy

by promoting transparency and accountability. This underscores the importance of your role as a bridge between the legislature and the public”.

The Speaker said further that the 10th House’s Legislative Agenda is a comprehensive and ambitious blueprint designed to address the critical challenges facing the nation, saying “Our focus is on driving economic growth, enhancing national security, improving healthcare access, reforming education, and advancing good governance.

The apex bank had warned Deposit Money Banks sternly over cash hoarding and diversion of notes, stating that such actions would attract stiff penalties.

In a circular dated November 13, 2024, signed by the Acting Director of Currency Operations, Olayemi, the apex bank announced intensified measures to ensure efficient and transparent cash disbursement.

The CBN reminded banks of its ongoing mystery shopping exercises and

The central bank stated that any DMB traced to seize cash from unauthorised hawkers would face financial penalties. Such banks will be fined 10 per cent of the total value of cash withdrawn from the CBN on the day the offence was committed.

Repeat offenders will incur an additional five per cent penalty for each subsequent breach.

The CBN also warned against cash hoarding, diversion, and other practices that hinder cash flow, stressing that such actions violate the Clean Note Policy. It noted that defaulters would face appropriate sanctions, including additional fines or other regulatory actions.

Umahi Seeks Better Welfare for Nigerian Judges, Says Tinubu Inherited N14.4tn Road Contracts

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has emphasised the critical role of infrastructure development in fast-tracking the dispensation of justice in Nigeria, revealing that on assumption of office, President Bola Tinubu inherited road contracts valued at over N14.4 trillion nationwide.

Umahi spoke during a keynote address at the Court of Appeal’s Annual End of Year Conference themed: “The Importance of Judicial Infrastructure to Adjudication.”

According to separate statements signed by his Special Adviser on Media, Uchenna Orji and the ministry's Director of Press and Public Relations, Mohammed Ahmed, the minister reiterated the ministry's commitment to supporting the effective delivery of justice through the provision of critical road infrastructure.

Umahi stressed that the federal government was already improving access to judicial facilities.

According to him, significant progress had been made in

constructing and rehabilitating road networks that connect rural and urban communities, ensuring seamless access to courts for legal practitioners, litigants and the public. Umahi further listed the modernisation of court infrastructure nationwide.

He disclosed that collaborative efforts with stakeholders was supporting the construction of state-of-the-art court complexes and adoption of digital infrastructure for virtual hearings and e-filing systems.

Mentioning specific projects completed in judicial zones, which he said had greatly enhanced mobility of personnel and materials, as well as boosting judicial efficiency, he emphasised that easy access to courts eliminate delay occasioned by travel difficulties, guaranteeing a faster adjudication process. He maintained that improving the welfare and working conditions for judicial officers will add a huge impetus to higher productivity and greater commitment to work and greatly reduce corruption.

L-R: Chairman, Body of Benchers, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN); past General Secretary, Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Rafiu Lawal Rabana (SAN); Chairman, Council of Legal Education, Chief Emeka Ngige (SAN); Chairman, Body of Benchers Disciplinary Committee, Justice Isiaq Bello; Life Bencher, Dr. Damian Dodo (SAN); and Director General, Nigerian Law School, Prof. Isa Hayatu Chiroma (SAN), at the flag-off of the construction of residential quarters for the Nigerian Law School, sponsored by the Federal Capital Territory, at Bwari… recently.

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I’m Yoruba; I’ve Nothing in Common with Northern Nigeria, Says Kemi Badenoch

Focus on something useful, not Badenoch, Atiku’s aide tells Shettima

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

The leader of the United Kingdom Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has again taken a dig at Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, in her recent interview, saying she is a Yoruba and has nothing in common with the northern part of the country.

This is as the spokesman for the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, Phrank Shaibu, asked those criticising Badenoch, to embark on a moment of introspection.

Vice President Shettima, recently, slammed her for denigrating Nigeria in her recent interviews with British media, especially her views on immigration and corruption by the Nigerian public officials, and urged her to drop her Nigerian

name.

While her spokesperson has responded to the criticism from Shettima, Badenoch sparked fresh identity controversy while speaking with British media, The Spectator, recently.

According to her, Northern Nigeria is a haven for Islamism and Boko Haram. She expressed dismay at how she’s being identified as Nigerian, noting that she identifies less with the country.

She said, “I find it interesting that everybody defines me as being Nigerian. I identify less with the country than with the specific ethnicity (Yoruba).”

“I have nothing in common with the people from the north of the country, the Boko Haram where Islamism is.

“Being Yoruba is my true identity, and I refuse to be lumped with

EU Urges FG to Prioritise Rights, Protection of Children from Discrimination, Intimidation

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The European Union (EU) has called on the federal government to prioritise the rights and protection of Nigerian children from all forms of discrimination and intimidation.

Speaking at the International Human Rights Day with the theme “Our Rights, Our Future, Right Now – Advancing Rights and Protection for Children in Nigeria”, organised by the EU Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) Programme and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), EU officials highlighted the importance of protecting children.

The event marked the conclusion of the 16 Days of Activism and the commemoration of the 2024 International Human Rights Day.

The EU Ambassador-designate to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot emphasised the need for states to move beyond merely adopting the Child Rights Act and focus on its effective implementation.

Mignot stressed the urgency of safeguarding children’s rights, calling for increased government funding to

address the needs of Nigerian children.

He said: “Children remain at the heart of our human rights strategy and are central to our external relations.

“Every child, whether in Europe or elsewhere, should enjoy the same rights and live free from discrimination or intimidation. While the adoption of the Child Rights Act across all states, including the FCT, is commendable, effective implementation remains the key challenge.”

He urged the federal government to ensure children have unhindered access to education, healthcare, and social services, adding that adequate funding and institutional support are critical to addressing the needs of the most vulnerable.

Mignot also addressed the broader need for preventing and combating gender-based violence, highlighting the EU’s commitment to investing in prevention and protection measures.

He added: “At the European Union, we invest in prevention and protection—pillars fundamental to breaking the cycle of violence and safeguarding survivors. Together, these pillars form a powerful framework for creating a safer, more equitable world.”

northern people of Nigeria, who ‘were our ethnic enemies,’ all in the name of being called a Nigerian.”

Continuing, Badenoch recalled how her surname was linked to a warrior and protector of the crown, adding that she was ready to die protecting the country (United Kingdom).

“Somebody once told me when I was very young that my surname

was a name for people who were warriors. They protected the crown, and that’s what I see myself as doing.

“I am here to protect, and I will die protecting this country because I know what’s out there,” she added.

Meanwhile, Shaibu, the spokesman for the presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2023 election, Atiku, asked those

criticising Badenoch, to embark on a moment of introspection.

Specifically, Shaibu urged Vice President Shettima to find something useful to do rather than concentrating on Badenoch.

In a post on his X page yesterday, Shaibu asked the vice president to find something useful to do with his time instead of berating Badenoch.

He wrote: “Those criticising @ KemiBadenoch should pause for a moment of introspection. The mere fact that her name is Kemi or that she has Yoruba roots does not automatically render her Nigerian.

“After all, Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus @gabrieljesus9 is not the son of God. @officialSKSM should find something useful to do with his time.”

Ganduje Declares Okocha-led APC in Rivers as Authentic, Vows to ‘Capture’ State in 2027

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, yesterday stated that there was no faction in the Rivers State chapter of the party, noting that the Chief Tony Okochaled executive was the authentic party leadership in the state.

This is as he vowed that just like the APC did in Edo State, the party would fly its flag in the Rivers State Government House in 2027.

Ganduje, who spoke while inaugurating Okocha as the elected APC chairman in Port Harcourt, alongside other members of the party’s State Working Committee (SWC), noted the need for harmony and love in the party.

Congratulating the newly sworn-in executive of the party, he said: "We decided to inaugurate the executives of the party here so

that there is no dichotomy between the national and state leadership of the party. We need to be in harmony, in love with the state.

It is very important.

"There is no more faction of APC in Rivers State. The only recognised executive is the committee led by Chief Tony Okocha."

Ganduje also advised the leadership of the party to ensure that they woo more new members to the party, saying that their target is to take over the leadership of Rivers in the 2027 general election.

"As members and leaders, you are bound with the responsibility, according to the constitution of the party, to ensure that you lobby, and use your political desperados to woo people into the party.

"You are from the South-south zone where the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) dominated, but during President Muhammadu Buhari’s

administration, we were able to take one state. Now under President Bola Tinubu, we have one. Out of six, we have two. Since we have started this journey, Rivers is our target to reclaim".

The APC national Chairman added that "To win Rivers State to APC, is a task that must be done".

The National Legal Officer of the party, Prof Abdulkareem Kana led the newly elected executive on oath of office, with 16 other top members of the NWC of APC in attendance to witness the inauguration.

In his speech immediately after his swearing-in, the new party chairman, Okocha, promised that the party would occupy the state government house in 2027. Okocha claimed that the state governor, Siminalayi Fubara has no political party, adding that he may not be qualified to contest in the 2027 general election.

Addressing the national leadership of the party at the event, Okocha said: "We are in league to assure you that 2027 will be different. The man who is in Rivers State as a governor does not have a party and our constitution does not support an independent candidate."

Okocha urged aggrieved members of the APC who are battling their position in court to withdraw the matter and join hands to stabilise the party in the state. He said: “We advise a few of our members playing around the court to come back to the party. I don't see the power of the court superior to the party. It is a one-party thing; we need to work together," Okocha added.

Recall that Okocha was elected the new substantive chairman of the party in the state on November 30, this year.

Gov Sani: Tinubu Assumed Office in Nigeria’s Most Difficult Time in History

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, has stated that President Bola Tinubu assumed power at a trying time in the nation’s history by inheriting an economy on the brink of collapse.

He stated this at the 48th edition of the National Council on Information and National Orientation, which was held in Kaduna.

Senator Sani said the president

should be supported for his unenviable task of introducing and implementing far-reaching measures to prevent the economy from imploding.

This is just as the National Council on Information and National Orientation has tabled a proposal asking the federal government to reopen the Nigeria Information Service Centres in 13 countries with four regional/zonal headquarters within these centres.

Sani appealed for patience, saying with the global economic meltdown, coupled with years of mismanagement in the country, fixing the economy requires sustained re-engineering.

“That is why Mr. President has come up with innovative and creative solutions to reinvent the economy and put our nation irreversibly on the path to sustainable growth and development. Although some of

the measures have been painful, they are being implemented with good intentions, for the greater good of the Nigerian people. As a father of the nation, President Tinubu has continued to renew our hope in the possibilities of the Nigerian nation,” Sani said. He tasked the council to devise effective strategies to mobilise Nigerians for the rescue mission and frontally tackle the degeneration of moral values in the country.

L-R: Special Advisor to the Coordinator and Development Partners and Team Lead, Michael Jordan; Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun; and Power Africa Coordinator, Richard Nelson, during a meeting at the Africa Investment Forum, Rabat, Morocco…recently

GREAT ABUSA ALUMNI…

L-R: Research Fellow, Centre for Human Virology and Genomics, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Uwandu Mabel Ogazi; Senior Human Resources Business Partner, Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, Ego Onuoha; Managing Director, Sparkling Eyes Clinic and Optical Services Limited, Dr. Amarachi Alilionu; Managing Director/CEO, Eye Spec Limited, Dr. Chizubelu Ejimogu; Station Manager, LN247 Television Network, Mr. Emenike Agu; Managing Director, Fullpage Communications Limited, Chief Ingram Osigwe; Principal Consultant/CEO, HNC Professional Services Limited, Hilda Nkor; Human Resources Manager, Oriental Energy Resources Limited, Nnenna Onyegbado; and Coordinating Managing Director, TD Africa, Mrs. Chioma Chimere, at the 2024 End of the Year party of ABSU Legends Alumni in Ikeja…recently

Umahi: Using Concrete Instead of Asphalt to Construct Abuja-Kano Road will Save FG N640bn

The Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, has said the decision to switch from asphalt to concrete for the construction of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Road would save the federal government over N640 billion.

The minister made this known when he appeared before the House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee to monitor the construction of the road, chaired by Hon. Aminu Jaji.

Recall that the contract for the construction of the road was awarded to Julius Berger before it was terminated.

Umahi had accused the contractor of unethical practices and failure to abide by the terms

of the project.

The minister said when re-awarded it would be for a concrete road.

He stated: “By my approach, I saved the nation N640 billion from Julius Berger. If we had accepted to do the job for N1.5 trillion, then they would have; now we are not, we are saving the country over N640 billion. And we are improving the architecture of the road.”

The committee asked if it would not be more expensive to re-award the contract when Berger had already done some work and if it would not be more cost-effective to retain the same contractor even for the concrete road project.

Umahi added: “The problem

IPI Nigeria Re-elects Mojeed, Shekarau as President, Secretary

The Editor-in-Chief of Premium Times, Musikilu Mojeed and the Chief Executive Officer of the Media Trust Group, Ahmed I. Shekarau, have been re-elected President and Secretary of the Nigerian chapter of the International Press Institute (IPI), respectively.

Mojeed, Shekarau and four other officials, elected unopposed and sworn in on Thursday, will direct the affairs of the Nigerian affiliate of the global media body for the next three years.

A statement issued by a member of the global executive board of the IPI, Raheem Adedoyin, disclosed that other members elected into the executive committee of IPI Nigeria include: Fidelis Mbah of Al Jazeera Television (deputy president), Rafatu Salami of Voice of Nigeria (treasurer), Yomi Adeboye of Herald Newspaper (assistant secretary) and Tobi Soniyi of ARISE News (legal adviser).

Speaking during the inauguration of the new leaders, Mojeed, who promised inclu-

sive administration, solicited the support and commitment of members to enable his team to achieve the organisation’s set objectives of enhancing the Nigerian media operating environment.

The election of new leaders was preceded by the organisation’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) where the Mojeedled executives rendered an account of their three-year stewardship and updated members on the financial state of the body. Some sections of the organisation’s constitution were also amended during the AGM.

A major high point of the event was the arrival of ex-Governor Segun Osoba, a renowned journalist and prominent, longtime member of the IPI.

He praised IPI Nigeria members for their commitment to press freedom, journalists’ rights and independent journalism.

Mr. Osoba, who recently returned from an overseas trip, further commended the organisation’s leadership for ensuring a successful conference.

of Berger is not just a problem of cost. We said in our conditions for acceptance that this project must be completed in 14 months. This project is a non-vary project unless the dollar goes beyond N2,000 per dollar. They refused all those conditions and they set booby traps for us.”

The minister stressed that there was no going back on the decision as the difference between the ministry and Berger appeared irreconcilable.

He said it would be unethical to just give the contract to Berger because the contract has to be thrown open for all to bid, adding that Berger could still

bid for the project if it wanted.

Umahi noted: “We terminated the job within our rights as an executive. They were fairly treated. It is within my right to determine the choice of pavement. When you compare the cost, we are in a safe haven. Leave the concrete; it is my baby. It’s cheaper to use concrete and we are putting in additional jobs of solar lights and CCTV.

“We were in negotiation with Berger for 14 months. It is within my right to terminate the job and we followed due process. I am happy the road was terminated from Berger. We had cases of kidnap on the road due to the condition of the

road. We begged them to fix the potholes but they refused. Sections of the road were bad but they refused to do it.”

The committee Chairman, Jaji, directed that all relevant documents related to the project be submitted so they can be better guided in addressing the issue.

Umahi was also required to supply the committee contract agreement, certificate rates, and evidence of payment made so far among others.

“If the certificate was raised, what was the value and the percentage of work covered? If you want a review, at what point did the review or at what point

was the review done? All these are information we require,” a member of the committee, Hon. Idris Wase said. Earlier, the management team of the company led by Mr. Benjamin Bott blamed the slow work on the road to poor policy changes, adding that they were being owed by the federal government. He said at one point, the work stopped because the government came up with the option of concrete instead of asphalt for the construction. Bott noted that at a point, the problem of insecurity kept workers away for 11 months due to a bomb blast in Kaduna when their workers were attacked.

Ohanaeze Gets New President General to Complete Iwuanyanwu’s Tenure Terminating January 10

A former national Vice Chairman (South-east) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Nze Fidelis Ozichukwu Chukwu, has emerged as the new President General of the apex Igbo sociocultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo.

Chukwu replaces the late Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, who died on Thursday, July 25, 2024, after a brief illness. He emerged yesterday during the Ime-Obi meeting held in Enugu.

The National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Dr Alex Ogbonnia, made the disclosure in a statement issued in Enugu.

The statement reads: “Nze Ozichukwu is to exhaust the Imo

State balance of 27 days which ends on January 10, 2025. The emergence of Chukwu is as a result of a chain of catastrophe, which has visited Ohanaeze with the demise of Ambassador Professor George Obiozor, in 2022.

“In order to complete the tenure of Imo State, the people of Imo State presented Dr Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu to Imeobi Ohanaeze for the replacement of the late Obiozor. By the application of a doctrine of necessity, Iwuanyanwu was sworn-in on April 30, 2023. Unfortunately, Chief Iwuanyanwu died on July 25, 2024 and was buried on November 1, 2024.

“It is in line with the doctrine of necessity that the Imo State Chapter of Ohanaeze, led by

Barrister C.J Ihemedu presented Nze Ozichukwu to the Imeobi Ohanaeze to exhaust the balance of four-year tenure allotted to Imo State. The motion for the adoption of Nze Ozichukwu was moved by Eze Cletus Ilomuanya, Chairman Imo Council of Elders and seconded by Chief Simon Okeke (Ochendo).

“In moving the motion, Eze Cletus Ilomuanya stated that Ozichukwu is a cerebral thinker with sterling qualities. He informed the Imeobi that Nze Ozichukwu Fidelis Chukwu, is a Nigerian management executive and entrepreneurship development consultant. He attended prestigious institutions like Templeton College, Oxford University, Harvard University (Harvard

Institute for International Development), Cambridge Massachusetts. USA, University of Bristol’s School for Advanced Urban Studies (SAUS) and (School of Policy Studies (SPS), The University of Lagos, Ogun State University (CETEP), and Galilee College, Tivon, Israel and holds M.Sc, MBA, degrees, among others”. Nze Ozichukwu has served as a director at Inland Bank Plc and Managing Director of Nigeria Merchant Bank (NMB) Plc. Many Imeobi dignitaries welcomed the emergence of Nze Chukwu. It is expected that with Ozichukwu, a smooth and credible transition of power to a president general from the Rivers State is guaranteed.

Wema Bank Launches ‘12 Days of Christmas’ Campaign to Reward Customers

Wema Bank has unveiled its festive season campaign, “Wema 12 Days of Christmas.”

Running from December 14 to 25, 2024, this initiative brings joy to customers nationwide with exciting rewards.

According to a statement by the financial institution, the Wema 12

Days of Christmas is a rewarddriven initiative appreciating new and existing customers.

Wema Bank celebrates the festive season by providing opportunities to win amazing prizes, including gadgets, home appliances, kitchen utensils, shopping vouchers, airtime, data and special dinner treats.

Customers can participate by using the ALAT App, visiting Wema Bank branches or engaging on social media. Managing Director Moruf Oseni emphasized, “We value customer loyalty and aim to make the holiday season memorable.”

Oseni encouraged existing and potential customers to participate, stating, “We spread love and give back to customers who supported us throughout the year.

“The campaign reflects Wema Bank’s commitment to customer appreciation, upholding the spirit of giving and ensuring customers feel valued.”

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Ejiofor Alike

Editor: Festus Akanbi

08038588469 Email:festus.akanbi@thisdaylive.com

Empty Wallets, Queues in Banks as Nigerians Struggle Amid Cash Scarcity

Cash shortage has become a daily nightmare for Nigerians, disrupting lives and livelihoods. With limited access to physical currency, citizens face long queues at banks and ATMs, skyrocketing transaction costs, and an unreliable digital banking system, writes Festus Akanbi

There are fears that the current cash shortage in the financial system may worsen the plight of ordinary Nigerians and constrain their capacity to do last-minute shopping, barely two weeks before the Christmas celebration.

Today, as Christmas approaches, the streets of major towns and villages in Nigeria are buzzing not with festive cheer but with palpable frustration and confusion. Long, winding queues snaked outside banks and ATMs, where tired citizens clutched their withdrawal slips, praying for the faintest chance of accessing their own money. Inside the banks, cashiers wore strained expressions, unable to provide answers to the increasingly desperate customers. Markets are eerily subdued as traders refused electronic transactions, demanding cash that seemed to have vanished into thin air. Families grappled with helplessness, unsure how to prepare for the celebrations, as the hope of a joyous Christmas dimmed under the shadow of financial chaos.

The problem of shortage of cash, however, took a dangerous trend with reports saying many hospital patients were left unattended as a result of their inability to provide cash for treatments. In many cases, and many parts of the country, patients have been left untreated in hospital while family and friends struggle to gather cash for their treatment and some women have been forced to give birth at home after being turned away.

The situation is believed to be worse in remote rural areas, where few people have access to bank accounts and mobile phone networks are poor. But in an economy in which only 45% of people have access to banking, according to the World Bank, shortages of cash have left many struggling to access their money.

SME Operators Feeling the Heat

In the ensuing confusion, frustration and disappointment came lamentations of promoters of Small and Medium Scale enterprises that the cash shortage is killing their businesses amid a drastic fall in sales. A food business owner in Ogba, Lagos State, Mrs. Folashade Ogunremi told THISDAY last week that businesses have been dull as customer traffic has significantly gone down in the past few weeks. She explained that some customers have been forced to reduce spending having complained of difficulty in getting cash.

“To worsen the situation, it is increasingly expensive to get the needed cash for the purchase of all the ingredients for the food business especially with the bank apps behaving funny these days,” she said.

POS Agents Making Brisk Business

However, the cash scarcity at commercial banks is driving businesses to Point-of-Sale (POS agents, who source cash from supermarkets, market people, and fuel stations. There are also speculations that some privileged few have a way of collecting cash from some syndicates in banks.

How does one explain the spraying of naira at social gatherings in flagrant disregard to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s ban of such abuse of the naira and at a period when many ATMs are no longer dispensing cash?

The growing reliance on POS agents has increased calls to regulate the agency bank-

ing business. In May 2024, the government ordered the 1.9 million POS operators to register with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

While the CBN has tried to wean Nigerians off their cash dependence to achieve a “cashless economy,” the governor said the regulator will provide adequate cash supply.

“The CBN will continue to maintain a robust cash buffer to meet the country’s needs, particularly during high-demand periods such as the festive season and year-end,” Olayemi Cardoso said. “Our focus is ensuring a seamless cash flow for Nigerians while fostering trust and stability in the financial system.”

Sources attributed the cash shortage to a lack of supply by the CBN and the fact that customers are taking their cash to POS instead of bringing it to the bank.

Deteriorating Services

The argument is that in the face of an acute shortage of cash and the call for cashless banking, one would have expected bank users to opt for online banking platforms if the banking applications of some of the leading operators had not been disappointing Nigerians. A few months after most banks claimed to have upgraded their digital infrastructure to serve their customers better, their services have deteriorated with users experiencing what appear to be the worst offerings seen so far.

It is now a daily experience for thousands of customers to resume at banking premises as early as 7 a.m. to register complaints about failed transactions. In one of such random checks by THISDAY last

Wednesday, banking premises across the Lagos metropolis were crowd-packed with disgruntled customers who lamented about their personal and business losses to sluggish or compromised electronic channels.

CBN Goes Tough on Defaulting Banks

Meanwhile, the CBN said it was ready to take action to address the cash shortage at ATMs. According to a recent memo, the apex bank said it would start to impose penalties on any commercial banks that fail to supply their ATMs and branches with cash starting from December 1.

“To address this, we are conducting spot checks across deposit money banks, and we will impose penalties on underperforming institutions,” he said.

He explained that the authorities encourage citizens to report any difficulties withdrawing money directly to the CBN through dedicated communication channels, adding that a large public awareness campaign will accompany these new measures. The truth is that up till now, no bank has been singled out for punishment while many banks’ ATMs remain dry.

Rationing

A market survey showed that in many parts of Lagos, Abuja and many other states, banks have resorted to rationing cash for disbursement for a couple of weeks now. The reality is that over-the-counter (OTC) services have not offered any solace with most banks restricting cash withdrawal per transaction to N10,000. This has triggered another round of cash scarcity across the country, pushing up agent banks’ charges by as much as 100 per cent or more in some cases.

As long queues return to the bank, reminiscent of December 2022 when Nigerians faced cash shortage as a result of the naira redesign policy which forced banks to reduce cash withdrawal limit, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) described the situation as a clear indication of a collapsing economy. The organisation criticised the inability of depositors to access their money in cash, labelling it an act of

economic sabotage and evidence of dysfunction within Nigeria’s financial system.

HURIWA noted that the cash scarcity has left millions of Nigerians unable to carry out basic transactions, particularly in rural areas where electronic payment systems are unreliable or non-existent. The group highlighted the plight of small businesses, artisans, and daily wage earners, many of whom have been pushed deeper into poverty as a result of the crisis.

Regulatory Compliance

Despite its push for a “cashless” economy, the CBN acknowledges that the transition must be supported by measures to meet immediate cash needs. “The CBN will continue to maintain a robust cash offering to meet the country’s needs, particularly during high-demand periods such as the festive season and year-end,” Cardoso said. However, banking industry affairs commentators said it is important for the apex bank to urgently confront the syndicates responsible for the diversion of cash from the banking halls and ATMs to PoS operators. According to critics, allowing the practice to continue will amount to rewarding criminality at the expense of hardworking Nigerians who are currently denied access to cash through banks.

Addressing cash scarcity ensures economic stability, social harmony, and sustained growth. Cash is a vital transaction medium, especially in cash-dependent sectors and among vulnerable populations. Prolonged scarcity disrupts businesses, hinders daily livelihoods, and fuels inflation, creating widespread hardships. Urgent intervention is necessary to restore confidence in the financial system, stimulate economic activities, and prevent potential unrest that may arise from prolonged shortages.

Bank customers taking their turn at the ATM

FEMI FANI-KAYODE expresses reservations over Kemi Badenoch’s continuous verbal attacks on Nigeria

Kemi Badenoch’s Hate for Nigeria

“Ifind it interesting that everyone defines me as a Nigerian. I identify less with the country than with my specific ethnic group. I have nothing in common with the people from the north of the country, the Boko Haram, where Islamism is. Being Yoruba is my true identity and I refuse to be lumped with the northern people of Nigeria who were our ethnic enemies, all in the name of being called a Nigerian”@KemiBadenoch.

Kemi Badenoch MP, the leader of the British Conservative Party and Opposition in the @UKParliament, has refused to stop at just denigrating our country but has gone a step further by seeking to divide us on ethnic lines.

She claims that she never regarded herself as being a Nigerian but rather a Yoruba and that she never identified with the people from the Northern part of our country who she collectively describes as being “Boko Haram Islamists” and “terrorists”.

This is dangerous rhetoric coming from an impudent and ignorant foreign leader who knows nothing about our country, who does not know her place and who insists on stirring up a storm that she cannot contain and that may eventually consume her.

It is rather like saying that she identifies more with the English than she does with the Scots and the Welsh whom she regards as nothing more than homicidal and murderous barbarians that once waged war against her ethnic English compatriots!

All this coming from a young lady of colour that is a political leader in a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural country that lays claim to being the epitome of decency and civilisation! What a strange and inexplicable contradiction this is.

Her intentions are malevolent and insidious and her objective, outside of ridiculing and mocking us, is to divide us and bring us to our knees.

I am constrained to ask, what on earth happened to this creature in her youth and why does she hate Nigeria with such passion? Did something happen to her when she lived here which she has kept secret? Was she the victim of some form of deviant behaviour, abuse or perversion that has resulted in trauma, long term psychological damage & mental health issues? Is this why she sees red and gets her pretty knickers in a twist whenever she hears “Nigeria”? Why does the mention of the name of our country trigger such compulsive, violent and aggressive emotions and impulses in her?

Given her pathological hatred for Nigerians these are legitimate questions that need to be answered. She hates us with what the Bible describes as “a perfect hatred” yet in a much publicised and widely read open letter written in 2010 during her first bid to be elected into the UK Parliament she begged the Nigerian community in her constituency to support her.

At that time, when she still needed us, she identified with Nigerians but everything changed after she was elected. At that point, in her conflicted and confused mind, all Nigerians

became demons, all Englanders became angels and her disdain and contempt for us was unmasked!

She hates us with a perfect hatred yet she still has the effontry and nerve to haul her rotund posterior back to our country with one Hamish, who I am told is her English husband, to watch polo at the Lagos Polo Club.

This is the same country that she has described as being a lawless jungle and corrupt stinking edifice from which no good can come and that is filled with nothing but apes, monsters and the criminally insane.

The truth is that the creature called Kemi Badenoch needs to be tamed and caged. Her Nigerian passport (if she still has one) ought to be revoked and she should never be allowed to set her leperous foot in our country again.

She should take Vice President Kashim Shettima’s @KashimSM counsel seriously and drop Kemi as her name.

She should formally wipe her maiden name of Adegoke off the record as well and publicly renounce and disavow her father, mother, siblings and Nigerian lineage and heritage. She does not want to identify with us and we do not want to identify with her.

She sees us as being corrupt and evil and we see her as being the devil incarnate and the spawn of satan. There can be no fellowship between us.

The truth is that she is no longer a mere irritant or the inconsequential object of our contempt and ridicule but she can now be comfortably and legitimately described as ‘public enemy number one’ of our beloved nation.

She should stick to the affairs of her UK, face it’s ruling Labour Party and its Prime Minister Keir Starmer @Keir_ Starmer and LEAVE NIGERIA ALONE!

On a lighter note it is a pity that I stopped playing polo many years ago because if it had been in my days that she attempted to visit the Lagos Polo Club she would not have got past the gate and if she managed to do so our grooms and horseboys would have pasted her self-hating, unpatriotic, ungrateful, treacherous and ever so plain face with Argentinian pony dung before tarring and feathering her.

Fani-Kayode is a former Minister of Aviation

UK can assist in fighting corruption, but it is better done from within, argues RICHARD MONTGOMERY

UK,

CNIGERIA AND THE FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION

orruption is a sensitive issue, politically fraught. As a foreign diplomat, I have to be careful about what I say. As a guest in your country, I need to avoid making accusations which are disrespectful. I need, as some might say, to ‘stay in my lane’. I have, primarily, come to listen to Nigerian voices and leaders on anticorruption.

But I can say things about the general picture, about what the UK has an interest in, and about the collaboration we have agreed with relevant Nigerian authorities.

There is plenty of international evidence about the damage that corruption—in its various forms— does to societies. It diverts public resources. It can perpetuate poverty. It raises the costs of doing business. It breeds distrust between government and the people. There are also plenty of examples of champions of reform, in Nigeria’s civil society and in government, who wish to tackle corruption. I salute them.

We have a history of collaboration in the fight against corruption with our Nigerian partners. Together, we have made significant efforts since the return of democracy in 1999 to build more effective anticorruption agencies: to detect, investigate and prosecute anticorruption and economic crime.

The UK’s National Crime Agency has a productive working relationship with the EFCC since its creation under the leadership of Malam Nuhu Ribadu.

We also have a productive relationship with the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit on illicit financial flows. We go after corrupt and illicit financial flows, and asset recovery, whenever they touch on UK jurisdiction and we have the evidence to act.

We have been working together on putting beneficial ownership registers in place, on which there have been real progress in Nigeria. We need to know who really controls any given company to enable better oversight by regulatory, and law enforcement, agencies. There is more to do on this issue, but Nigeria has the potential to be a leader across the African continent in this area.

We have supported, in our small way, Nigeria’s efforts to enact the global Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). Over time, NEITI (the Nigerian chapter of EITI) has provided more information on licensing, revenue and expenditure across the extractive sector, especially the oil and gas sector. Though as Waziri Adio’s book, ‘The Arc of the Possible’, explains, there is still much to do. A continuing lack of transparency of the oil sector— its assets, its liabilities as well as its revenues – are a major break on attracting new investors. So again, progress made, but more is needed.

There are of course many challenges still to be dealt with, which are exacerbated by international financial complexity and the global nature of corruption today. Money moves across borders, rightly. But we accept, the UK is not blameless, at all.

The UK consistently ranks in the top 15 countries in the Global Financial Secrecy Index. This implies a permissive environment for handling illicit funds that undermines the integrity of our financial markets. We need to do more to address vulnerabilities in both our

financial systems—in the UK as well as in Nigeria—that facilitate such activity.

So, what can I say about the way ahead in UK efforts? First, when my Foreign Secretary (Rt. Hon. David Lammy) visited Nigeria in early November and met Nigeria’s Honourable Minister for Foreign Affairs (Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar), they signed a Strategic Partnership between our countries. They agreed that we should work more closely on countering illicit finance. They agreed we should collaborate more on detection, investigation, and prosecution, and do more to address vulnerabilities in local and global financial systems.

This means, second, we will continue to work and cooperate with a number of anti-corruption agencies, on capacity issues, on aligning standards, and in ensuring we can meet the standards required for mutual legal assistance. Third, that we will continue to support the Nigerian government and its agencies in improving financial intelligence and evidence collection which will enable us to bring grand corruption cases to court.

And fourth, and finally, My Foreign Secretary has just launched the process of developing a new UK anti-corruption strategy. This will seek to improve our efforts on anticorruption both domestically and with our international partners. He has, for example, committed to hosting a Summit of Financial Centres in 2025, which will look to drive joint action on this agenda across countries, and in which we hope Nigeria participates. I hope these comments reinforce the UK’s commitment to working with you all.

But real change can only come from within Nigeria: from Nigerian warriors, Nigerian leaders, and Nigerian institutions. We will help where we can, and where we are asked. But we are particularly keen to get behind people who have the courage to take on these issues in Nigeria. And we are keen to share the outcomes of the deliberation here with our central team working on the UK’s anticorruption strategy.

Editor, Editorial Page PETER ISHAKA

Email peter.ishaka@thisdaylive.com

THE DEATH OF OKUAMA COMMUNITY LEADERS

There is need to expedite investigations on the killings so that the innocent ones do not suffer unnecessarily

Five days after the President-General of Okuama community in the Ughelli South Local Government Area, Delta State, Pa James Oghoroko, reportedly died in military detention, the 81-yearold treasurer, Dennis Okugbaye, was also said to have lost his life in similar circumstance. Both leaders, along with several others were arrested by the military last August, following a violent raid on Okuama community that forced residents to flee into the bush. Many of the displaced are now pining away at an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Ewu Kingdom. But serious questions are now being raised on the condition under which the military authorities are keeping the suspects and how two died within a period of one week. It all started in March this year when communal gunmen ambushed troops of the 181 Amphibious Battalion after which the commanding officer, a Lt Colonel, and 16 other army personnel were gruesomely murdered. In a statement he personally signed, President Bola Tinubu condemned the killing of the soldiers who were on a peace mission as “unconscionable crime against the Nigerian people” while authorising military authorities to fish out the perpetrators and bring them to justice. While also calling that those who killed the troops be apprehended and made to pay for their crime, we stated in a previous editorial that restraint on the part of the military was important so that innocent people would not be punished for the crime committed by a few.

The problem is compounded by millions of illegal Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALWs) in the country. The ease of access to these weapons has made individuals and communities more fortified and hence less amenable to entreaties to make peace

ambushed and killed by criminals. Military operations in such an environment of volatility, and complexity as the Niger Delta must be intelligence driven to prevent this kind of tragedy. But more importantly, political authorities must also do more to resolve many of these land disputes that ignite violent eruptions. The problem is compounded by millions of illegal Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALWs) in the country. The ease of access to these weapons has made individuals and communities more fortified and hence less amenable to entreaties to make peace. Many communities are self-arming to protect themselves, to go on the offensive or for reprisal attacks. The frequency of these clashes demonstrates that we are teetering towards a lawless society, with all the frightening implications for peace and security in the nation.

Because of the way the issue has been handled, sympathy has shifted from the tragic killings of the soldiers at Okuama to the human rights credentials of our military in their dealings with civilians. There is therefore an urgent need to speed up the investigations so that those who are complicit could be handed to police for prosecution while the innocent ones can secure their freedom. The circumstances under which two detainees died in military custody should also be investigated.

Meanwhile, we reiterate our earlier position that military authorities should be concerned by the growing numbers of their personnel being

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We call on authorities in Abuja and the 36 states to arrest this rapid and steady slide into anarchy by addressing the conditions that make violent attacks tools of expressing grievances between and among communities. We also enjoin them to devise effective conflict resolution mechanisms, create an early warning system that would alert of a brewing crisis, equip security agencies with modern intelligence gathering tools and promote policies that encourage peaceful coexistence and social harmony. Community and religious leaders must also rise to help in promoting peaceful co-existence among our people.

Above all, we must accept that the insecurity confronting the nation is no longer a series of random and opportunistic attacks. Drafting in military troops to theatres of violence arising from land disputes has over the years proved to be no solution. The time has therefore come to realise the severity of the threat to our national security by reassessing the current strategies which have become ineffectual and costly. In urging our military to always exercise a “disciplined use of force” in times of crisis, a former US Secretary of State, John Kerry, also reminded them during a visit to Nigeria that “one person’s atrocity does not excuse another’s.”

It is an admonition that will serve the military as they pursue justice on the Okuama tragedy.

Letters in response to specific publications in THiSDAY should be brief(150-200 words) and straight to the point. interested readers may send such letters along with their contact details to opinion@thisdaylive.com. we also welcome comments and opinions on topical local, national and international issues provided they are well-written and should also not be longer than (950- 1000 words). They should be sent to opinion@thisdaylive. com along with the email address and phone numbers of the writer

LETTERS THE BURDEN OF BLOOD AND BOUNDARIES

Olukemi Badenoch, the Nigerian-born leader of Britain’s main opposition, the Conservative Party, has been copping a lot of criticism from Nigerian authorities since she was elected to the post.

First was the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission which criticized her for snubbing it when it reached out to her. Recently, Kashim Shettima, Nigeria’s Vice President, weighed in with the strongest criticism of the MP yet when he accused her of constantly denigrating Nigeria, ending his criticism by suggesting she could change her first name.

In this bizarre attempt to force patriotism down the throat of a woman, the Vice President completely missed the point.

Unlike citizenship which flows in the blood, patriotism is often an intangible product of power-personal power in this case – the kind of power that comes from debt, when one feels indebted to another, in this case, a country.

Genuine patriotism can never be forced. It freely builds up when citizens of a country recognize how much they owe their country which must have in turn given them quality of life.

When there is no patriotism, people have been known to take the extraordinary step of renouncing their citizenship. That appears to be what Badenoch has done.

While the VP thinks Nigeria is one of the greatest countries on earth probably because he sees the country from the vantage point of Aso Rock with all its lavish perks, Badenoch has spoken of the “hell” she lived in Lagos with rampant insecurity, and without constant running water.

Because there is a clear riot of perspectives, the VP cannot expect more than she is willing to give. His experience as a privileged Nigerian who has been governor and vice president with all the security that comes with it in an

otherwise hellishly insecure country contrasts sharply with her experience as one who practically had to flee the country. Would the VP dictate to her what she experienced? Does he reserve the right to ask her not to let her experience of the country colour her opinion?

It Is a mistake to think that anyone in Nigeria is more ‘Nigerian’ than others. It is also dangerous to conflate palatable patriotism when the going is good with genuine patriotism that shapes the kind of withering criticism that can reset a country. Perhaps, the VP should listen to Nigerians on the streets of Nigeria and take a few home truths with him to the next Federal Executive Council meeting

In a country of more than two hundred million people, and hundreds of thousands of others in the diaspora who identify as Nigerians, it cannot be that the majority hate the country or are deliberately going out of their way to denigrate it.

Many Nigerians are not dual citizens like Badenoch. Nigeria is all they have. What will they gain by denigrating the country? Yet, they paint a far bleaker picture of the country than Badenoch can ever do. Why? Because that is the reality they live daily. Is it what makes the VP so uncomfortable?

Badenoch has spoken of ‘hearing neighbors in Lagos burgled and beaten’ while she was still in Nigeria. What has changed now? Are things not even worse? Rather than vilifying her or trying to force some pseudo patriotism down her throat, the VP should concentrate on utilizing his exalted office to make Nigeria better. Nigerians would appreciate that far more than misguided attacks on someone whose criticism they not only agree with but are willing to adopt.

A Brisk Encounter With Kemi Nandap

Tunde Olusunle

Idon’t know the way it is with others, but I’m so eternally enamoured by my alma maters across my life’s trajectory, I just can’t stop celebrating them. For me, the Immaculate Conception College (ICC), Benin City, is the best secondary school in this milieu. Headed by the unsung academic and administrative luminary, Dr Joseph Odidi Itotoh in my generation, ICC was catalytic in laying the building blocks of my life as destined by God. I feel similar nostalgia for the University of Ilorin where I obtained two hard-earned degrees in English. To imagine the institution didn’t initially feature in my priorities. I was almost incurably obsessed about schooling in the erstwhile University of Ife, (Unife), now Obafemi Awolowo University, (OAU). Africa’s first Nobel Laureate for Literature, Wole Soyinka was on the faculty of Unife. I really drooled and salivated about the prospects of physically encountering and being taught by this icon, whose imprimatur was all over our literature curriculum, over time. OAU was star-studded, boasting luminaries like Femi Osofisan, Biodun Jeyifo, Kole Omotoso, Chidi Amuta and Godini Gabriel Darah, among others. If I desired to study English, Unife was the place to be, so I thought.

True, the burgeoning University of Ilorin which operated in its early years substantially from the makeshift minicampus in the city was bereft of the jawdropping aesthetics of Unife. Unilorin made up for this, however, with the sheer density and diversity of its faculty. Between the former “Department of Modern European Languages” which warehoused the English and French courses, and the adjoining Department of Performing Arts, Unilorin could not be cowed by faculties elsewhere. At the head was the English man David Cook, credited with mentoring the Ngugi wa Thiong’o generation of East African writers. There was also the multifaceted, self- effacing Indian scholar, Prayag Tripathi. A much younger Olu Obafemi, creative versatile, charismatic, steep in radical intellectualism; and Sam Adewoye, a novelist, were equally in the team.

There were also the trendy NigerianAmerican intellectual, Tayo Olafioye who was given to infectious and flowery elocution; the bubbly American teacher, Russell Chambers; the engaging Ugandan lecturer Stephen Hesbon Lubega, and the untiring language specialist, Emmanuel Efurosibina Adebija, among others. Africa’s first published female playwright and first female professor of theatre arts, Zulu Sofola; pioneer faculty member in performing arts in Unilorin, Akanji Nasiru and the indefatigable Nigerian-American dance expert, Bunmi Babarinde-Hall, featured in the newly established performing arts department in our time. Not forgetting the eccentric Sierra Leonean actor and playwright, Yulisa Amadu-Maddy, and subsequently, Ayo Akinwale. Such was the kaleidoscope of personalities who privileged our thoughts and vistas. An aggregation of these resources and experiences bred the moniker, Better By Far with which we’ve beaded the university over aeons.

Over the years, I’ve found myself a compulsive and delighted documenter and diarist of fellow

alumni from Unilorin, in their courses and attainments in life. The institution has blessed Nigeria and the world at large with some of the finest of manpower, some of the most skilled human resources in virtually every department and sector. Early this year, Kemi Nana Nandap, who was hitherto an unobtrusive Deputy ComptrollerGeneral, (DCG), in the Nigerian Immigrations Service, (NIS), was appointed substantive ComptrollerGeneral of the Service by President Bola Tinubu. She graduated with an honours degree in biochemistry from Unilorin in 1987, same year with Tinuke Watti, another distinguished Unilorin alumna, who was appointed federal Permanent Secretary late 2023, by the President.

Nandap became the fourth woman to be appointed to the position of Comptroller-General, (CGI), of the NIS. This is tangible evidence that she has consistently and sustainably proved her mettle all through her career, in a maledominated paramilitary profession. Notable women who previously led the NIS as chief executives include: Uzoamaka Nwizu, (2000 - 2004, of blessed memory); Rose Chinyere Uzoma, (2010 - 2013) and Caroline Wuraola Adepoju, who handed over to Nandap early this year. Her appointment took effect from March 1, 2024.

Between Olusegun Adekunle, OON, Emeritus Federal Permanent Secretary and Chairman of the Abuja chapter of the Unilorin alumni association; Wale Fasakin, National President, and Bolanle Olatunde, National Public Relations Officer, I was literally “abducted” and thrust into an impromptu visit to CGI Nandap, Friday December 6, 2024! Fridays are usually tricky days. One tries to wrap up his schedule for the week with very strict deadlines. The trio, however, are people one holds in high esteem. Fasakin indeed came from out-of-state, to Abuja specifically for

nearly 30 countries across the world on Baba’s entourage. (Baba is the globally adopted alias for Obasanjo). This was until I began to dodge the drudgery and tedium of moving around and about with him. Before Obasanjo, I had worked back- to- back as publicist with one civilian Governor and two Military Administrators in my state: Prince Abubakar Audu; Colonel Paul Omeruo and Colonel Bzigu Afakirya.

CGI Nandap was already standing before us, before we even noticed when she eventually joined us. We rose in unison to our feet to return her civility once we saw her. Despite the ring of uniformwearing and plain-clothed aides around her, her naturalness, her unassumingness, her humility shone bright. She apologised for keeping us waiting. She explained she was indeed going to request fo a rescheduling of our meeting with her, once impromptu engagements began to clog her itinerary for the day, so that our meeting with her will be worth the while. Having seen off her supervising Minister, Nandap still had a few other programmes to attend on a day like Friday, typically a “half day.”

the purpose of the courtesy call. His selflessness could only be assuaged if the programme proceeded successfully. My only option in the circumstances was to juggle my schedule so as to be on the delegation. Other members of the delegation were: Moji Oshikoya, (of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA)); Nuhu Adam, (an aviation industry stakeholder), and John Ondoma Freeman, (who is on the executive of the alumni Abuja chapter).

The air was festive within the perimeters of the headquarters of the NIS on the airport road as we drove in. The grass lawn adjacent the administrative building of the organisation was being readied for some event, most probably a night of carols, maybe an end-of-year get-together. Our delegation was very courteously received and ushered into a visitor’s room by aides of the CGI. I remarked about the tidiness and sense of order which I noticed within minutes of our arrival. We engaged ourselves with reminiscences of our times in Unilorin, enjoyed our laughters and glanced at the television screen from time to time. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo the Interior Minister, we were informed, was visiting. He was being received by the leadership of the NIS in the boardroom of the outfit.

Nandap’s entry into the visitor’s room where we were seated was without fanfare. I’ve visited quite a few regimented services through the decades and I’ve never been impressed by the contrived stampede, the conjured drama and needless gra gra associated with the movements of their “big men.” Let’s be very clear: I was a very close aide of President Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR, all through his eight years in office. I operated from the most proximal physical space to him and saw him everyday. To this extent, I’m very accustomed to “VIP movements.” To be sure, I logged

Dr. Wale Fasakin spoke on behalf of the team. He presented as souvenir, a roll-up banner bearing the image of the CGI congratulating her on her merited appointment. Nandap was draped with a customised sash bearing the Better By Far inscription, emblazoned across the colour code of the University of Ilorin. Bolanle Olatunde stepped forward to decorate her with the Unilorin lapel pin. I did invite her to the public presentation of two of my newest books which took place early October. The event was chaired by threetime National Security Adviser, General Aliyu Mohammed Gusau, with the media luminary, Chief Onyema Ugochukwu, as “Professional Elder Statesman.” CGI Nandap’s colleagues in the Nigerian Police Force, (NPF); the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), and so on, attended. I had with me, autographed copies for presentation to her.

Kemi Nana Nandap who hails from Ogun State was born June 3, 1966, in Zaria. Like me, who was born in Kaduna, she epitomises the merits of our archetypal sociocultural interconnectedness, with her added spousal affiliations to Plateau State, to wit. This is not discounting her horizontal and vertical movements across the country on several postings and assignments on national service. These have helped to consummate her panNigerian worldview. Last October, there were murmurings within Immigrations circles that Nandap had attained 35 years in service and was due for retirement, consistent with service conditions. Nandap was a member of Course 22 of the NIS Training School, Kano, where she was commissioned on October 9, 1989. While it is true that she has completed 35 years in the public service, her Letter of Appointment specifies that she will hold office for a period of 18 months, all the way to October 2025. Her continued stay in office is therefore consistent with the terms of her appointment by the President, Commander-in-Chief.

A heavily decorated professional, CGI Kemi Nana Nandap continues, to lead with every passion a service which aims to approximate the attainments of pacesetting parallel agencies in other parts of the world, as the Nigerian Immigrations Service continues to reinvent itself.

Olusunle, PhD, Fellow of the Association of Nigerian Authors (FANA), is an Adjunct Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Abuja

Nandap

essien

Unlocking A DreAm life

At age 25, Eno Essien, the car tracking expert, founded Rheytrak Limited, a vehicle tracking and recovery company. But the glee of success was almost lost at 29 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Now 42, Essien is enjoying the silver lining by helping others and living a life of her dreams, writes Vanessa Obioha

I Want to Live Every Day, Offering Hope to Many

The guests who gathered at The Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, on a recent Sunday afternoon were well-heeled, but more than their social status, they were united by the inspiration drawn from Eno Essien, the first licensed female to venture into the car tracking business. While her entrepreneurship is laudable, Essien’s resilience in her battle against cancer over the last decade adds an even more profound layer to her story.

Almost everyone in attendance was familiar with her journey, but rather than evoke pity, it inspired admiration and respect for the young lady who has remained unstoppable despite life’s challenges. For every lemon life threw at her, she made chilled jars of lemonade. Therefore when she decided to launch her debut book titled ‘Unstoppable: My Journey of Resilience and Overcoming Cancer,’ many turned out to celebrate her.

Among the personalities who came to her book launch was Olori Temitope Enitan Ogunwusi who represented the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi; the Lagos State Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mobolaji Ogunlende; Nigeria’s first full Professor of Radiation Therapy and Oncology, Professor F.A. Durosinmi-Etti; CEO, Smooth Promotions, Ayo Animashaun and veteran media personality, Adesuwa Onyenokwe.

Capturing her journey in a book seemed natural for Essien, especially as the daughter of veteran journalist Nsikak Essien, from whom she inherited

a passion for writing. The inspiration, however, came from her participation in the Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Awards, where she emerged as a finalist.

“During one of the meetings, we had only 20 minutes. to talk about ourselves and I couldn’t say everything I had done in 20 minutes. I left there feeling sad and I just thought maybe I should write a book.”

To be sure, Essien has spoken in different fora about her business and battle for cancer but with a book, she felt she could say more and inspire a broader audience. ‘Unstoppable’ contains 21 chapters, with 18 dedicated to her business and three focused on her cancer survival. She also revealed that two more books are already in the works.

The book serves as a launchpad for her philanthropic initiative. Starting in February 2025, women aged between 29 and 40 residing in Akwa Ibom will enjoy free breast cancer pre-screening, an initiative in collaboration with the Hopes Alive Initiative (HAI) aimed at raising awareness of the importance of early detection.

Aspects of Essien’s character were explored at the book launch, where her business acumen, faith, and penchant for excellence were praised. This same attention to detail was evident when this reporter visited her at her tastefully designed home along the Lekki axis of Lagos State.

Before we began the interview, she asked for feedback on her event, keen to know whether the flow was seamless or if her team missed anything.

“Did you eat at the event? Did you

L-R: Wife of the Ooni of Ife, Olori Temitope Enitan-Ogunwusi; CEO Smooth Promotions, Ayo Animashaun; mother of the Author, Mrs Naomi Essien; Essien; Chief Clinical Oncologist and Nigeria’s first full Professor of Radiation Therapy and Oncology, Professor F. A Durosinmi-Etti; CEO Airtec Systems, Kehinde Akinsete; and Honourable Commissioner Youths and Social Development, Lagos State, Bolaji Ogunlende

network?” she inquired.

But Essien had little to worry about. Her impeccable taste and planning skills ensured that the event ran smoothly. This same elegance is visible in her home, tastefully designed and adorned with smart security features like a smart door and CCTV. As one ascends the stairway, they are greeted by frames displaying various publications about her.

“I used to tell myself that I will have a beautiful house and I will have a wall of fame. This was way before I ever granted any interview. It was four months after I moved in here that I realised that dream had come to pass. So basically, things that I have imagined about myself, I’ve seen come to pass. The mind is really very powerful,” enthused Essien, pointing out the power of words.

Many examples abound on the various things she had envisioned such as when she told her mother that at the age of 25, she would be famous. One notable instance is her desire to stand out in the crowd.

As the daughter of a journalist, reading newspapers and watching the news were routine in her family. She remembered reading about exceptional female leaders like Ibukun Awosika and imagining herself as an entrepreneur. The more she read about them, the more she believed that she would become an entrepreneur.

She ended up studying microbiology, although she initially wanted to study medicine.

“I wanted to be a medical doctor, and that was due to lack of guidance and counselling because you have to be a doctor, a lawyer, a nurse, an engineer at that time. But looking back now, I should have gone towards the art line.”

After graduation, she obtained a postgraduate diploma in Business Administration and later attended Lagos Business School. Her venture into vehicle tracking was sparked by a robbery at a friend’s home, which led her to establish Rheytrak Limited at the age of 25, becoming the first licensed female in the industry. Today, her company has recovered over 300 vehicles across Nigeria, Benin Republic and neighbouring countries.

Her greatest reward comes from recovering stolen vehicles.

“When your car is stolen, it’s not a good feeling. It totally turns you upside down. And then you reach out to us for help, and then maybe a few hours, or sometimes days, as the case may be, we call you to confirm details of your car and also tell you your vehicle has been recovered and that you can pick it up at the police station. Sometimes, we even take a step further by sending you pictures of your car.

“The joy they express makes me so

happy. It’s like the best thing that you can give me. No amount of money can equate to the joy that I feel.”

Essien credits the Nigerian police for their cooperation in recovering stolen vehicles. Beyond recovery, she also emphasised the role of tracking in ensuring family safety, although it can pose problems for couples in strained relationships.

With 17 years in the car tracking business, Essien found a lack of regulation as the most challenging obstacle.

“There are many quacks who operate in our line of business and erode trust. The business needs regulation.”

Just as she predicted to her mother that she would be famous in her twenties, by age 29, everything was going so smoothly until she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

“I had just emerged a recipient of the Future Awards. My business just turned five years old. I just opened a Port Harcourt branch. Everything was just going good and then the next thing, you are going to die.”

At that time, cancer meant death to her.

“I didn’t know that one could survive it.” With the support and prayers of loved ones and her pastor, she endured chemotherapy, a lumpectomy, and the emotional toll of losing her hair. At first, she kept her diagnosis private, travelling to the UK for treatment. It took time for her to regain her self-esteem.

“If somebody sees me, you know, I used to have all those kinds of feelings, because I have a scar. But now I look back, and I’m like, what is breast? You are alive; even if they cut it up, you are alive.”

Even though she has survived cancer for over a decade, Essien admitted that there’s still a nagging fear that occasionally creeps in.

“But I’m learning to speak to it,” she said assuredly.

She recalled the first five years after her recovery how she used to disturb her doctor at the slightest sign of illness.

“If I have a headache, I’m panicking. Oh my God. What is it? The same feeling when I drink Coke. Is it the sugar? They say cancer feeds on sugar. I would have back pain. The next thing I’m calling my doctor: ‘My back is paining me. Can I come? Can you help me check my kidney? Help me check my liver, check my status,’” she dramatised.

“At any slight pain, I’m calling him and I mean, God bless him. He never scolded me. He would encourage me. Sometimes, he turned it into play, asking me what I think it was and even asking me to come up with a solution since I have diagnosed myself. And in the process, we just started laughing. He’s always very supportive. He calms me down. He’ll say, this is not this. This has nothing to do with cancer, but if you want to come, come, let’s have a look at it, you know. And then I’ll go to the hospital. He’ll have a look at it. At the end of the day, he would just say to me ‘Go and live your life. Go and enjoy your life, you know.”

And that is exactly what Essien is doing.

“I want to live every day, offering hope to many.”

Essien

HighLife

Rumours: Zulum at Aso Rock in 2027?

Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State is at the centre of intense political speculation about his ambitions for the presidency in 2027. His term as governor is gradually winding down, and after that, his political relevance at the state level could significantly diminish. This situation has led to rumours that he may be preparing for a national office bid.

In recent months, Zulum has fortified his position by surrounding himself with key individuals, including Usman Tar, who heads internal security and intelligence. Observers think that Tar’s expertise would certainly prove invaluable as Zulum continues along his political path and engages potential financial backers for his campaign.

Since fully stepping into politics as Borno Governor in 2019, Zulum’s approach to governance has been seen as pragmatic and focused on real development. His administration is largely marketed as one committed to addressing critical issues, from rebuilding infrastructure to tackling health and education. This has earned him respect and a strong following in the North-east. But is this strong enough to give him the backing needed for a presidential bid?

With security remaining a key concern in Borno, Zulum’s decisions in this area are being scrutinised. Being able to manage such a delicate issue, with the help of his trusted team, may provide him with the political capital to appeal to a broader national audience.

There is also the matter of his managing Borno’s recovery efforts. Particularly, Zulum’s recent budget allocation for the 2025 fiscal year, the focus on healthcare, education, and economic recovery, is seen as showing commitment to long-term development.

Meanwhile, Zulum’s leadership skills are also evident in his stance on controversial national issues. His position on the recent tax reform bills, for instance, demonstrated his willingness to challenge policies he perceives as harmful to his region. This kind of independent thinking could appeal to voters dissatisfied with the status quo.

Ultimately, as Zulum’s term winds down, slowly but surely, the question remains whether he will fully pursue his presidential ambitions or pivot to other roles. What will 2027 bring? Perhaps, many surprises.

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi last Monday visited the renowned legal icon and founder of Afe Babalola University, Chief Afe Babalola (SAN) in his office in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.

Obi’s visit was said to be connected with the ongoing alleged defamation case instituted by Babalola against the Lagosbased human rights lawyer and activist, Dele Farotimi. It was also learnt that the former Anambra State governor after visiting Babalola, equally visited Farotimi at the Ado-Ekiti Correctional Centre in Ado-Ekiti, where he had a session with him. Farotimi faces defamation and cybercrime charges in an Ekiti State Magistrates’ Court and the Federal High Court, Ado Ekiti.

The defamation charge stems from allegations in Farotimi’s book: “Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System,” that Babalola influenced Supreme Court judges.

Babalola had considered aspects

with KAYoDe ALFreD 08116759807, E-mail: kayflex2@yahoo.com

...Amazing lifestyles of Nigeria’s rich and famous

Peter Obi’s Show of Statesmanship

Yahaya Bello: Taming of the White Lion

The former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, seems to be facing a long-anticipated legal reckoning. He now stands charged with laundering of over N110 billion, a scandal that has the public waiting for his conviction. Because the Federal Capital Territory High Court recently refused to grant a bail application filed by the former governor, many believe his time has finally come, with Christmas likely to find him behind bars.

Bello, self-titled “White Lion,” known for his imperious persona and relentless defiance, has been a polarizing figure. For years, critics believed he lived in a world of his own, seemingly immune to the consequences of his actions. His apparent downfall now feels almost poetic.

Many have long criticised Bello for his alleged childish behaviour and disregard for authority. His dismissive attitude towards legal proceedings has made him an easy target for ridicule. While some may argue he deserves a fair trial, many are relieved at the prospect of him finally facing

justice.

Bello’s initial refusal to cooperate with the EFCC was not only a sign of arrogance but also a symptom of his belief in his political immunity. For years, he acted as though he were untouchable, hiding behind political allies. So, with legal troubles brewing in the background for him, some people are finally calming down, agreeing that no one is beyond the reach of the law.

The court’s decision to deny him bail was expected. Justice Maryann Anenih rightly pointed out that his bail application was premature. Who applies for a bail before they are even arrested? This rejection is seen as a victory for the rule of law and a blow to those who feel they are above the system.

Now, as Bello faces the possibility of spending Christmas in jail, the public’s reaction is largely one of satisfaction. For those who have long viewed him as a reckless, selfserving leader, his fate feels like the inevitable

of the 104-page book authored by Farotimi as defaming him and filed a legal action against the human rights lawyer. While the Magistrates’ Court had earlier remanded Farotimi and adjourned the case until December 10, the Federal High Court granted him N50 million bail on Monday.

Though the court granted Farotimi bail, his team were still working on perfecting the bail conditions, as of the time of filing the report.

By Tuesday, the Magistrates’ Court reserved ruling on his bail till December 20, 2024. With the visit, Obi has shown that he is not only a statesman, but a man of peace. After all, sources said during the two-hour meeting between him and Chief Babalola, the legal giant reportedly gave the conditions to withdraw the charges against Farotimi.

According to media reports, the conditions are that Farotimi should retract his not- guilty plea and thereafter publish the rebuttal in major newspapers.

By his action, Obi has shown that he is a man who stands by his allies in times of trouble.

This is why Obi should be commended.

end to a tragicomic tale. Whether or not he deserves this punishment, many are happy to see the “White Lion” finally tamed.

Mohammed Indimi Strikes Gold

Mohammed Indimi, the prominent Nigerian oil mogul, is about to experience a big boost in his fortune. News masters have documented December 14 as the day he will unveil a new floating oil and gas production, storage, and offloading unit in Dubai. Although marking a milestone for his company, Oriental Energy, this development is set to transform Indimi’s business prospects.

The floating unit is crucial for the Okwok field, one of Oriental Energy’s flagship offshore assets. Its addition will not only enhance the company’s ability to produce, store, and offload oil more efficiently, but also elevate its status in the competitive global energy sector.

This achievement comes at a time when Indimi is also experiencing a major career shift. His recent appointment as a Non-Executive Director at Julius Berger Nigeria PLC is another indication of his growing influence. The position

Austin Avuru: The ‘Magician’

Austin Avuru continues to make waves in the global energy sector with Seplat Energy’s recent acquisition of ExxonMobil’s Nigerian operations. Commentators believe that with this move, Seplat is essentially making permanent its position as one of Nigeria’s top energy businesses ready to take over the world stage.

The figures around the news are astounding. It is reported that Seplat Energy acquired ExxonMobil’s Nigerian operations in a $800 million deal approved by the Nigerian Federal Government. Avuru had reportedly contributed his bit by helping to negotiate the price down from an initial $1.28 billion.

To think that with this acquisition, Seplat’s production capacity is doubled to 120,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. Great things are coming for Avuru and the others.

Meanwhile, beyond the numbers, the acquisition has wide-reaching implications for the industry. It not only strengthens Seplat’s

resources but also boosts confidence in Nigeria’s energy sector. International investors are now looking at Seplat as a key player, drawing comparisons to other major energy companies making similar moves across the globe.

It is now clear that Avuru’s leadership, built on decades of experience, continues to impact both the local and global markets. His role at AA Holdings and Seplat continues to position him as a powerful figure in energy, akin to influential energy leaders in other resource-rich nations, who shape both local economies and international markets.

The Nigerian energy sector has been in flux, but under Avuru’s leadership, Seplat stands out as a lighthouse of stability and growth. The man’s ability to adapt to global shifts and lead successful ventures makes him one of the most respected figures in the industry today.

Even after stepping down as Seplat’s CEO, Avuru remains a guiding force. It is the same reason his work with AA Foundation is believed

might even serve as a strategic advantage for Julius Berger, further solidifying Indimi’s business acumen Indimi’s latest venture could also provide a resolution to the brewing family conflict that has attracted public attention. Readers might recall that his daughters, Ameena and Zara, had initiated a legal battle, accusing their father of reducing their shareholdings in Oriental Energy. The dispute over a $435.1 million dividend had caused tension within the family.

So, with the success of the floating unit and his increasing prominence in the construction industry, Indimi’s financial stability may soon overshadow the controversy. The improved performance of Oriental Energy could potentially settle the disagreement, and then shift focus away from the courtrooms and back to his business empire.

to be his dedication-cushion for creating social change. In this way, Avuru is making sure that his legacy extends beyond the boardroom and impacts communities in meaningful ways.

obi

Avuru

Bello

Indimi

in the air as Bobasuwa Okunowo steps into the

Okpebholo’s

As Bobasuwa Okunowo Becomes the Asiwaju Onigbagbo of Akile Ijebu

shoes of the late Subomi Balogun as the Asiwaju Onigbagbo of Akile Ijebu. This remarkable moment in Ijebu history marks a new chapter for Okunowo, especially because of his life of service and integrity.

The investiture of Okunowo is a celebration of multiple milestones. In addition to receiving this prestigious title, he and his wife, Erelu Morenikeji, are also commemorating their 50th wedding anniversary and his 77th birthday. This coincidence has sparked widespread admiration and joy, solidifying their place in Ijebuland’s history.

Many view Okunowo’s rise to the title as the continuation of a rich legacy in Ijebu Christian leadership. The late Chief Timothy Odutola and Otunba Subomi Balogun were giants in the role, and now Okunowo is set to carry the torch. However, he remains unfazed by the towering legacy of his predecessors.

Okunowo’s response to the challenges posed by following such esteemed figures is clear: it is not a competition. He believes the

Budget Blunder: A Saga of Stumbles and Defenders

Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State recently became the subject of online buzz after his rather memorable presentation of the state’s 2025 budget. During the session, Okpebholo struggled to pronounce the N605 billion figure, repeatedly stumbling over the numbers. His visible discomfort only added to the viral nature of the moment.

The video quickly spread across social media, sparking mixed reactions. On one hand, viewers found the governor’s flustered delivery funny. On the other, many were quick to criticize his inability to handle such basic figures in a public setting, raising questions about his preparedness.

Then, the acting Chairman of the Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Jarrett Tenebe, jumped to the governor’s defence, even suggesting that Okpebholo’s

Ademola Adeyemi-Bero’s recent appointment as Chairman of the Board of Governors of OPEC for 2025 has sparked

stuttering was a sign of his integrity. In other words, because the governor is innocent and has no intentions to steal, he is unfamiliar with large numbers.

And while Tenebe’s defense was far from subtle, it has stirred a great deal of conversation online. Some critics think it went too far in dismissing the significance of Okpebholo’s blunder.

But things did not stay funny for too long. Tenebe added fuel to the fire when he reportedly made threats to a critic who had mocked the governor’s budget gaffe, telling the fellow that he will soon be forced out of Edo. This comment was viewed by many as an overreaction, prompting calls for his resignation from some quarters and concerns over threats to free speech and political dissent.

The whole episode has ultimately drawn

role is defined by one’s commitment to integrity and service. His focus is on fulfilling the duties of the title with honesty and dedication, ensuring the position evolves for future generations.

The title Asiwaju Onigbagbo Akile Ijebu holds immense significance in Ijebu culture. It was first bestowed upon Chief Odutola and later Balogun. Okunowo, now the third to carry it, has demonstrated through his life and work that he is deserving of this honor.

Okunowo believes that integrity, humility, and service are the hallmarks of a true leader. His new title, therefore, reflects not just his personal achievements but his unwavering commitment to uplifting Ijebuland and its people.

As the first holder of this title to approach it in the later years of life, Okunowo knows the importance of making a lasting impact. This is why his focus is on ensuring that the legacy of this title grows stronger, passing it on enriched to the next deserving individual, just as it was passed to him.

attention not just to Okpebholo’s budgeting misstep but to the way political figures react under pressure. While some, like Tenebe, passionately defended the governor, others questioned whether such gaffes should be overlooked or treated with more seriousness. Either way, it seems that Okpebholo’s budget blunder is likely to remain a talking point in the state for some time.

Moment of Pride as Adeyemi-Bero Takes Charge as Chairman, OPEC Board of Governors

immense pride among his friends, relatives, and Nigerians, generally. This significant achievement is the culmination of over 38 years of dedicated service in the oil and gas industry, a career that has taken him from Shell to leading his own company, FIRST Exploration & Petroleum Development Company Limited.

From his early days as President of British Gas Nigeria to his executive roles in Shell, Adeyemi-Bero’s commitment to excellence has earned him the respect of his peers. It is on this account that it is believed that this position will let him shape discussions that impact oilproducing nations and their economic strategies.

So, it is a foregone conclusion that Nigeria’s stature will be magnified on the global stage.

For those close to him, Adeyemi-Bero’s success is more than professional; it is personal. As expected, his friends and family

Bukola Olopade’s Vision for a Global Standard

Bukola Olopade’s appointment as Director-General of the National Sports Commission (NSC) marks the beginning of a new era for Nigerian sports. There are sky-high expectations that Olopade, who is known for his successful tenure as the former Commissioner for Sports in Ogun State, will bring fresh perspectives and energy to the NSC.

One of Olopade’s achievements, the Access Bank-sponsored Lagos City Marathon, has already garnered international recognition. The man’s experience with such large-scale sporting events shows how much of a capable leader he is, especially as he seems to be ready to elevate Nigeria’s sports infrastructure to global standards.

Olopade’s appointment comes at a pivotal time, with the NSC undergoing revitalisation. As chairman of the Local Organising Committee for the upcoming National Sports Festival in Ogun State, he demonstrates his organisational skills and commitment to enhancing Nigeria’s sporting culture on both a national and international level.

He has already expressed strong support for initiatives empowering women in sports, such as the Ogun Women Run. By championing this cause, Olopade is evidently interested in promoting gender equality, and also encouraging the rise of female athletes who can compete at global levels.

The NSC’s focus under Olopade’s leadership seems clear: creating an enabling environment for all athletes. The signals are strong that he is dedicated to tapping into the full potential of the country’s sports talent, ensuring that no athlete is left behind.

Olopade’s strategic vision is expected to improve grassroots sports development while fostering talent that can compete internationally. His leadership is likely to transform the NSC into a globally recognised body, facilitating more partnerships, sponsorships, and competitive platforms for Nigerian athletes.

With a proven track record of success and a passion for improving sports in Nigeria, it is no surprise that Nigerians believe that Olopade can lead the NSC to new heights. With his

Sad Moment for Agba Kefas

The death of Atsi Kefas, the younger sister of Taraba State Governor Agba Kefas, has sent shockwaves through the state and beyond. According to reports, she was shot during an attack in Wukari Local Government Area while travelling with her mother. Tragically, Atsi later succumbed to her injuries in a hospital in Abuja.

The attack occurred on Kente Road, where gunmen ambushed the convoy. In the confusion, a police officer mistakenly shot Atsi while trying to protect them. Although she was initially rushed to a local hospital, the severity of her wounds led to her transfer to Abuja for advanced care.

see his appointment as the recognition of years of hard work, sacrifice, and vision. It’s a moment to celebrate the man who has risen through the ranks with unwavering dedication and grace.

As the CEO of FIRST E&P, AdeyemiBero has consistently demonstrated a clear vision for the company’s growth and success in the Nigerian oil sector. Even now, his leadership drives FIRST E&P’s integration of sustainable practices, ensuring the company remains a relevant and successful player in the industry.

There is no time to go into AdeyemiBero’s leadership as Chairman of the Independent Petroleum Producers Group (IPPG). Needless to say, at this group which is composed of 25 Nigerian indigenous upstream companies, the man is still doing great and amazing things.

appointment, there is hope for reforms that will elevate Nigerian sports to the global stage, creating opportunities for athletes and sports enthusiasts alike

News of her death has drawn mixed reactions. While most Nigerians express sorrow over her passing, others have shifted the blame to the governor. They point to his inability to curb the escalating insecurity in his state, where bandits operate with alarming freedom.

In North-west Nigeria, an estimated 30,000 bandits roam freely, with their groups ranging in size from small bands of 10 to large gangs exceeding 1,000 fighters. This level of insecurity has deeply affected communities and state leadership alike. For many, Atsi’s death is the painful result of this environment.

Governor Kefas, like many other leaders in Nigeria’s troubled north, is expected to do more to ensure the safety of his people. But, like many others, he faces immense challenges in securing Taraba from the increasing influence of bandits and criminal groups.

A number of voices have emerged, urging the governor to focus on improving the state’s security rather than engaging in foreign investments or unrelated political pursuits. The tragedy has intensified the pressure on him to tackle the root causes of insecurity, particularly in areas like Wukari and Takum.

Asti’s passing is a harsh reminder of the fragile nature of life in the north; even those closely connected to political power are vulnerable to the ongoing violence. It remains to be seen how Governor Kefas and the state will respond to the calls for stronger action to protect their citizens.

Okunowo Kafas

In Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, excitement is still

Okpebhole

Olopade

Adeyemi-Bero

o kpebholo: Soni Irabor to the r escue

KASHIm SHeTTImA: DoN’T SpoIl IT

Mbok, Mr. VP, you know I like you so don’t push it. Don’t come and spoil this Kemi fight, we already have it under control. Your coming out to cite our population as the only canon fodder against the damaging attack she has leveraged on us, is just very funny and pitiable.

So, Mr. VP, she cited insecurity and crime as a main reason for calling us bastards, citing how she was hearing neighbours in her Surulere home scream for help and in response, you cannot give her statistics of how the situation has improved or dropping increase in police budgets and that kind of thing?

And if you do not have the figures as I suspect that things have gone worse since she left – shebi her time it was house burglary, now na full kidnapping of local governments complete with Police DPO and Garrison Commanders – you should have cited crime figures in that her UK.

Who is even advising you sef? Knife crimes are on the increase, sex crimes are on the rise daily in the UK, you cannot quote that for her and say “Look, you too have these issues as

It was a national shame and I’m stating this boldly, particularly now that one can easily be abducted for saying their mind. Despite their claims that the clip was doctored, NTA reportedly streamed the whole “rubbish” live. Even if the report was doctored, the whole world knows that this “dem Governor” is challenged in that area.

This is what Edo State got after ordering a fine cuisine. As I watched the clip, I told myself that Edo don carry last for this one. You know Edo people always brag and say dem no dey carry last. Edo don carry last for this one and true, true, Edo no be Lagos.

Lagos despite the “hereditary monarchy” going on there, will not bring someone that figures confuse to run the place. If you see the résumés of all those who have ruled Lagos, you will first fear before you start shouting.

there is no society without crime and we are working very hard to gift Nigerians the safety they so deserve.”

Is it to say we are the most populous country in the world by 2025 or that one out of every four black men in the world is a Nigerian? Mbok, how is that an achievement? That we are procreating like rabbits? Who that one help Obong Shettima? Abeg my brother, please let me repeat, you know I really do like you, don’t be looking for my trouble like this, don’t be letting me stroke you na. This thing you have made me do, is really paining me because you have supported me and I must in turn show respect but you didn’t help me with that pedestrian talk.

As for you Kemi, let me tell you something, Nigeria is truly a giant with some of the most brilliant people in this world. We have gifted the UK some of your most accomplished people, we have gifted the world intellectuals and statesmen.

We continue to face our challenges with strong resolve to sort them and let me assure you that we will overcome them in our lifetime.

You will not discount their capacity and intellect as you are shouting ‘Eko ti baje o’ with the selection going on. The boldness of it all is my angst here. You know you have a basic challenge, you rough am become Senator, then you rough am become governor and expect that since we really do not have a choice we will sit down and listen to all of this. The other “yellow” man carry him big head and come and be saying crap –Asue has stolen billions, Monday has not stolen and that is why he cannot call out the figures. How about Monday no go school.

Mbok, nothing wrong with not going to school, but there is a lot wrong with trying to force illiteracy on us especially when there are ample opportunities to better yourself while still in office. Didn’t Obasanjo go to Open University, didn’t Gowon go to

UDUAK UDo: A fUNNY KIND of SlIp

This one has shot himself into national limelight with an incredible slip. How for the life of me would someone be congratulating another for the loss of his wife no matter his state of mind or level of education? Even though he has come out to apologise and attempt to reprise the “stupidity,” the gaffe still rankles and remains annoying. This leads me to the selection of human capital into sensitive and powerful positions not only in Akwa Ibom but nationwide. That is how Sanwo-Olu’s media aide the other day went to say that those who burnt down TVC were “hunted and killed.”

Appointments in this clime is very far from professional. It sits very firmly on cronyism. It is used as a reward for electoral delivery and we all know how these things get done. So, you see a government with cultist, hardmen, agberos, touts and those kinds of people populating all those senior advisers, special advisers, SSA cadre.

The most obvious are those Special Advisers on youth affairs, welfare and that kind thing. Just go and

university, why can’t Monday just go and register in evening school and save us all this skin cringing gaffes. This is where my egbon Soni Irabor comes in and thankfully, he is an Edo man.

In the 80s, Soni was the lead character in the popular TV show ‘Second Chance,’ where adult education was the direction. Soni is still well and alive, he is living in Lagos and I have his number. He should be drafted quickly into this matter to coordinate a second chance for una governor.

Mbok, nobody should let confusion make them come and try to abduct me o. Me I am not Dele o, I be breeze and my Mama na witch. Go and ask the people who abducted him what happened when they tried to abduct me.

Monday, go school, it’s as simple as that. Go evening school. Thank you

check it out, all those people who are holding those positions nationwide and you will see why they will be congratulating the Governor for losing his wife or asking soldiers to hunt and kill civilians. Rubbish.

emIr mUHAmmAD SANUSI: A DIffereNT KIND of SlAp

Headlines can be misleading ooo and another thing again is social media. These two can put someone in abducting trouble if you know what I mean.

So, this headline came screaming out - Emir Sanusi has asked his daughters to slap their husbands back if they are slapped and then all sorts of social media commentaries followed with all manners of innuendoes.

My people, knowing the intellectual height of Emir Sanusi, I just knew that there was no way in the world that he would ask his daughters to be doing “slap me, I slap you.”

So, I went into research mode. I read his full speech and saw it in the context he was talking about. According to him, over 40% of cases in Sharia courts across over nine Northern states were domestic violence cases. Not just tiny slap o,

Okpebholo

Tinubu

Shettima el-rufai

gbadebo

but major brawls leading to massive injuries, loss of limbs and teeth, among others.

So in this context, his statement was meant to once again bring to the fore this crazy issue and we all just went and took it literally.

I have met some of Emir Sanusi’s daughters and I must say from their looks, beauty, comportment and pedigree, you will rather surrender yourself to be slapped by them daily for the rest of your life than slap them.

Mbok, my dear Emir Sanusi, you know we really have to build bridges between Kano and Shomolu and also by extension Akwa Ibom, so you will not by any chance have a spare daughter, I may come and marry.

I won’t mind being slapped by the ever-glowing beauties that adorn your home. I have your numbers, can I call on this urgent matter?

GbADebo rHoDeS VIVoUr VS SeYI TINUbU: A SIGHT To beHolD

My dream Lagos State gubernatorial debate would be against these two. I swear, the ratings will go through the roof. It will be another Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul fight. There will be drama, comedy, suspense and it will end in a fight as the “agberos” on either side will jump at each other and Seyi will jump on his skateboard and skate away in time to join his father on another state visit.

Gbadebo will come in white but backed by his mothers’ “Igbo” people singing “nzogbu nzogbu.”

The “Obidients” and young Yoruba intellectuals will also be behind him. The Isale Eko, Epe, Badagry and Ikorodu people who form the indigenous people of Lagos and who are angry with these Ogun and Iragbiji people who have taken over their state will be behind him with placards screaming “give us back our land.”

But have you ever wondered why they say Lagos is no man’s land? It’s because from governor to godfather, to deputy governor, to speaker to all the House of Assembly to most of the commissioners are originally from other states. Kai, they will soon beat me o in this Lagos. Lol.

Anyways, Seyi will come with NURTW, the whole APC framework, DSS for his safety and his colleagues at the Federal Executive Council with VP Shettima also coming to lend support. Since na debate, they will ask Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State to stay clear, he will be needed on the streets on election day. While the introduction is going on, Gbadebo will be going through his notes, prepping and juggling figures and Seyi will be on TikTok and generally just smiling.

“Opening shots guys,” Dr Abati would say, still wearing his bowtie and pink suit, looking like a grandmaster flash.

Gbadebo would commence: “We are the real owners of Lagos, since my fathers came back from slavery where they used them to inseminate female slaves, we have lived in Isale Eko.

“In fact, if you go there you will still see my grandfather’s testicles in a glass where they have preserved it for the amount of work it did on female slaves in Brazil…” Seyi, your turn. He would smile,

come off his phone and like his father, will call on Deji Macaulay, please answer…

My people, I am saying it o, nobody should come and abduct me o, I am not Dele Farotimi ooo, I will not go easily oo. Kai, I can find trouble.

prINCe jUlIUS ADelUSI: A momeNT IN TIme

There is something very elegant about Centurion Julius. Still very

handsome at 84, debonair and suave. Spending time with him as always is a treat. During the week, me and my very good friend, Dr Ebose went to see him in his famous Juli Pharmacy office nestled in the bustling Ikeja Bus Stop. Prince Adeluyi is a former Minister of Health, a leading pharmacist, an elder statesman and one of those daddies that you just want to go and sit down at his feet

olUSeGUN obASANjo, peTer

obI: KINDlY,

STAND CleAr

We have seen reports of these two rushing to intervene on this matter and I am wondering why. Peter Obi is beginning to wear himself thin. Does he even have time for the other room with the way he is gallivanting all over the place? Burial, wedding, schools, chieftaincy title everything and everywhere, the man will land with black trad and black shoes - he go soon tire before the elections.

Now exactly what are we begging here for, I don’t understand. Someone wrote a book o, he was not just talking in a drunken stupor in a beer parlour o, he wrote a whole book and distributed it very widely, globally making very strong allegations against a principalityyou notice I dey fear to mention the principality’s name for obvious reason.

Me, I be orphan and I no be member of Afenifere. The one wey be member of Afenifere is spending his second week in jail talkless of me, and we don’t have up to six SAN in Akwa Ibom that will defend me. Mbok, make una leave me o – the allegations not only touch principality but the whole of the judiciary. This is a call to a duel and like men they must be allowed to duel. For a lot of us, this is not a fight between these two people but a fight for the sanctity of the judiciary and by extension the rule of law. This fight must be fought to its logical conclusion because it will either strengthen the judiciary or give us a more

compelling reason to reform it. So my people, there should be no begging.

If dreadlock crusader beg and principality agree, then principality will have a comma on his integrity and contributions to judiciary for the rest of his life and beyond. If dreadlock begs, he would have lost all credibility, his community and would be left in the dustbin of history as one never to be taken seriously. So, I dey wonder how he will even beg sef. Sorry, Baba, all those things I wrote, I did not mean them? I was sexually starved so my frustrations led me to writing them? Mbok let’s be serious. The book has gone far and wide as they are saying that it is now on the bestseller list on Amazon.

Principality sef showing his lack of understanding of how modern times work has gone to secure court order like we have been told, stopping the sale of the book and seizing royalty –laugh want to kill me here. Stop ke, when the book is not inside Abiola Bookshop or Odusote Bookshop. Daddy, the book is on Amazon. Your court jurisdiction dey there? Royalty is not in Agbonmagbe Bank, it’s inside crypto o.

Please stop making me laugh with all these diversionary things. Let’s face the court, Nigerians need this court case. Obi and Obi please go and sit down. Thank you.

and just listen. He speaks like a seasoned diplomat, interspersing the same with light humour, kindness eschewing from his beautiful eyes and his powdered face gleaming in the warm Friday morning. Prince took us through history - his relationships with personalities both local and international and his thoughts on current issues.

We had so much fun that we almost did not want to leave. Spending time with Prince Julius is usually one of my most memorable moments. I simply just love the man. God bless him. It was my sister Nonny Ugboma who made it happen. Make I put her name o.

bIoDUN SHobANjo: From mAN To boY

Thanks to Tosh Adefeko, I had the rare privilege of sitting down with the advertising Czar, the great Centurion Biodun Shobanjo. My people, I had written about the anticipated sit-down some weeks ago on this same page and it finally happened o.

He came in his usual bespoke suit and bow tie and sat down at first, doing shyness with me and when the interview started, he loosened up and took me to the cleaners.

Humour for humour, yab for yab, punch for punch, he gave as good as he got and I must say, he won. He was so handsome in looks and in expression even as he took his time to explain, describe and inform. He never lost it even as I taunted him and jabbed him, but came back at me in split seconds showing his deep intellect and the sagacity that made him an icon.

After it all, he did not know that Tosh had gathered over 30 of his closest professional colleagues including Sir Steve Omojafor, Senator Akin Odunsi, Jimi Awosika and Steve Babaeko amongst others. It was meant to be a surprise gettogether and Oga was truly and very well surprised as he walked into the room and everybody stood up and shouted “happy birthday.” As a strong Ijebu man, he no cry o like Americans used to do, but he jumped into the room shouting “Agh Steve, iwo no wa mbi, Aghhhh Akin kilo onse ni bi, Tosin -oti kpa mi, Duke ori eeeeeee!!!”

Congrats Sir, you truly and fully well deserve this and more.

ZArA eDGAr: mY lIFe, mY worlD

Let me crave the indulgence of every one to just send a shout out to my last daughter, the ever so quiet but extremely beautiful and supremely intelligent Zara Edgar. She is my last child.

Last night, she took down the roof at her wonderful school Greensprings Lagos in a world class choreographed performance that shook the whole place.

The whole performance was too exciting as the cast and crew gave out their very best to the amazement of the crowd that was made up of parents and the general public. God bless you my daughter and may you not slap your husband or be slapped by him. Lol. This is just to say, I love you and that you have made me and your mum, the very vertically challenged Duchess very proud. God bless you, my dear.

obasanjo

Will Rahma Indimi Ever Love Again?

Rahma Indimi, the daughter of billionaire businessman Mohammed Indimi, is beautiful and outspoken.

But not a few say she likes to court controversy.

Since her marriage to Mohammed Babangida, son of a former military President, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, collapsed like a pack of cards, she seems to relish being in the news all the time.

If she is not whipping up sentiments and public sympathy in the battle she is wagging against her ex-husband over the custody of their four children, she would be out there fighting with one of her sisters.

It will be recalled that after she moved away from the home of Babangida, she was not romantically linked with any man until 2018, when she was alleged to have a sizzling romance with the former Director of the Department of Security Service, DSS, Lawal Daura. Their relationship was so hot that many thought they would take it further.

Although the no-nonsense DSS Director is married with four wives, he was said to be in love with the Borno State-born beauty.

A reliable source disclosed that the wedding ceremony would have taken place in December 2018, but the plans were halted due to “security reasons.”

But shortly after the man was sacked by the then Vice President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, nothing was heard of the love affair, thereby making some allege that the relationship could have, at best, been “transactional.”

Subsequently, she made another attempt to worm her way back to the younger Babangida’s heart. But his second wife, Umma Wali, was said to be the clog in the wheels of her progress.

Now, the question on the lips of many is, will the beautiful woman ever fall in love again? Tongues have begun to wag over her single status.

One of the major problems which became a recurring decimal in her marriage to Babangida was her alleged dominance and control over her husband’s life. Society Watch gathered that the dark-skinned mother of four may have seen the need to kick the alleged habit, as she advances in age.

Tony Elumelu: Pride of Africa’s Banking Sector

Without a doubt, the story of the Nigerian banking industry will not be complete without a favourable mention of Tony Elumelu. The reason may not be far-fetched as Elumelu has, over the years, been a pride to the sector since he came on the scene. Besides, he has been able to metamorphose into a banking wizard from his humble beginning when he set out as a graduate of Economics. Today, he has done for the nation’s financial institutions what the likes of Mike Adenuga Jnr. has done for the telecom industry and Wale Tinubu for the oil and gas sector, respectively.

Today, in his capacity, he has turned UBA into a global brand. It operates across 20 African countries, the United Kingdom, the

United States of America, France and the United Arab Emirates, UAE. UBA, today, is one of the largest employers in the financial sector on the African continent, with 25,000 employees and serving over 45 million customers globally.

The high-flying banker has proven to the world, especially intending entrepreneurs, that with persistence, dedication, hard work and prayer, anything could be achieved.

Despite his seemingly unparalleled success, Elumelu has refused to rest on his oars; rather, he has continued to paddle his canoe with so much power and gusto, breaking new grounds, and achieving significant high points. elumelu

Family, Friends, Mourn Oil and Gas Magnate, Austin Odili

In the words of Richard Puz in The Carolinian, “Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.”

Indeed, if death had demanded money, oil and gas top player Austin Odili and his family would have offered it without blinking an eye.

But the respected businessman succumbed to the vice-like grip of the proverbial grim reaper on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, after a cardiac arrest.

The shocking news of his passing had hit many, especially his family and friends, like a heavy blow. But his loved ones are comforted by the fact that he lived a fulfilled life and impacted humanity positively.

Since his passing, his business associates and friends have been sharing memories of their unforgettable encounters with the man who sat atop Delmar Petroleum.

when Aviation expert, Lai Oriowo pulled elites to Mum’s Burial

“A mother’s love is patient and forgiving when all others are forsaking’’

Until her death last July, Florence Aduke Odunuyi, the mother of a top politician, aviation professional and director of Odua Group Investment Otunba Lai Oriowo, loved her children, and she did everything to make them better persons. A look into her eyes will convince you that her love for her children is the purest love you can find on earth.

Though death is a necessary end, her passing at the age of 92 was still shocking to them. But they quickly took solace in the fact that the loving mother lived a fulfilled life. It is with this spirit that they orchestrated a magnificent final burial ceremony for their late mother last Saturday, December 5, 2024.

The celebration of life that was held at the prestigious 10 Degrees, Oregun, Ikeja Lagos, was a truly spectacular affair, showcasing the high esteem in which his mother was held. It reflected the stature of her son, a well-connected oil guru whose network spans industry leaders, monarchs, top politicians, socialites, and

celebrities. And with such an impressive roster of connections, expectations surely ran high, and the event definitely did not disappoint.

Attendees were treated to an array of heartfelt tributes, vibrant performances, and a beautifully curated atmosphere that honoured the legacy and memory of a beloved matriarch. The event resonated deeply with the community, leaving a lasting impression on his friends and business associates.

As friends and family gathered to pay their respects, stories of Odunuyi’s warmth, generosity, and strength filled the air, reminding everyone of the profound impact she had on those around her. It was a grand farewell, a celebration not just of a life well-lived, but of a love that continues to inspire.

Dignitaries at the event include the Governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke; a former Governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun; Chairman, Odua Investment, Bimbo Ashiru, Bashorun Dele Momodu, veteran journalist, Reuben Abati and his wife, Kikelomo; founder and CEO of Bolmus Group International, Bola

The tall and handsome dude has a personality and an eye for detail and success. A hard worker and a firm believer in equity, he understands the pains of the poor and the gains of the great.

Shrewd and benevolent, he is familiar with the intrigues of being successful when the odds are against him. Apart from being a businessman, he is a socialite who knows how to enjoy himself and loves every good thing in life. Obafemi certainly has enough cash to satisfy his luxurious lifestyle.

For his leadership quality as well as guidance, the Ekiti State-born aviation expert was recently honoured by the Institute of Strategic Management of Nigeria (ISMN) Chartered, a premier African institution for professional training and certification in strategic management and leadership with the prestigious Honorary Fellowship Award.The award, as gathered by Society Watch, is for his outstanding contributions and achievements in the field of strategic management.

Among several memorials, the one penned by Princess Fifi Ejindu, a business associate and friend of over 22 years with the late business magnate, has caught the attention of many. She wrote: “Heartstrings always connect those we cherish, no matter where they are now. Our friendship was a blessing and the memory of you will never fade.

“I have cried and prayed. My only consolation is that I was fortunate to have known such a good, loyal and devoted person for almost 22 years of my life.

“I just bless the day I met you. You were one in a million. God created you and threw away the mould. They just don’t make them like you anymore.

Completely selfless! May you experience light, peace, joy and eternal rest wherever you are. Unforgettable!!!

“Your legacies shall remain evergreen.”

Many of his friends who congratulated him for the award, described it as a deserving one.

“It’s amazing to see a professional organization recognizing your knowledge and skill. I’m so glad that everyone can see your brilliance. I pray that this recognition brings you continued success and inspiration,’’ a friend wrote.

A cursory look at his journey in life reveals that he started his first business enterprise in 1985, named Budget TV and Appliances Rental Service Store on Central Avenue in East Orange, New Jersey. He was also a consultant in the opening of Heritage Spas on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn, New York, which became the place of choice for discerning customers. It is also on record that between 1985 and 1988, he owned one of the largest Western Union franchises in the State of New Jersey. The businessman made the impossible possible when he opened the Lagos-Atlanta direct flight with his Ritetime/World Airways.

Indimi

Oriowo

Obafemi Sophisticated, dandy and classy, Otunba Peter Obafemi exudes the characteristics of an accomplished American business tycoon.

Odili

Shagaya; actor, Emeka Ossai and his wife,

ARTS & REVIEW ARTS & REVIEW

A publicAtion

Brush Strokes and Colours of Cultural Cooperation

German President Frank-walter Steinmeier’s high-profile visit to Nigeria culminated in a prestigious cultural evening exhibition at the Nike art centre in Lagos, marking a significant moment in the country’s vibrant art scene and strengthening cultural ties between Germany and Nigeria. okechukwu Uwaezuoke reports

Given German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s highprofile standing, it was only fitting that the Nike Art Centre in Lekki, Lagos, rolled out the red carpet for him ahead of the prestigious cultural evening exhibition on December 11. The event, attended by a coterie of local arts community members, was a highlight of President Steinmeier’s two-day state visit, which commenced with a grand arrival in Abuja on December 10 and concluded with a departure to Johannesburg, South Africa, on December 12.

And what made this visit to the gallery truly special was President Steinmeier’s opportunity to experience Nigeria’s vibrant art scene firsthand. He had the “privilege”—as his brief remarks at the event implied—of meeting with renowned artist Chief Nike Okundaye at her space, a cultural hub showcasing an impressive collection of over 8,000 African art pieces. In his outpouring of compliments for Chief Nike Okundaye, the German president, who was on his third visit to Nigeria, couldn’t help but allude to the fact that her first-ever exhibition was at the Goethe-Institut in Lagos back in the 1960s—an event that seems to have been quietly tucked away in history.

Now that her creativity and industry are always guaranteed to steal the show, the German president was, no doubt, impressed by her trailblazing work, especially considering her mentorship of younger artists and commitment to empowering the underprivileged, particularly women. Her art centres in Lagos, Abuja, Osogbo, and her hometown Ogidi have, for instance, trained over 3,000 young Nigerians for free, and she has funded numerous small businesses and workshops across the country. “There is a reason why everybody in Lagos, and in fact in the whole cultural world, in Nigeria and beyond, calls you Mama Nike,” President Steinmeier said. “[It is] because you have indeed been like a mother to many young artists, especially female artists, and especially to those with underprivileged backgrounds. You gave them space, skills, and advice. By your tireless commitment, you have inspired them, and that is what young artists need most— inspiration and encouragement.”

Steinmeier’s praise for Davies-Okundaye’s work was, therefore, more than just a diplomatic gesture; it was a heartfelt acknowledgement of her profound impact on the art world. Hence his earlier statement: “Culture in all its forms is a bridge that connects us across languages, borders, and histories.Tonight, we have come together to honour the stories, values, and perspectives that Nigerian and West African art brings to our lives. This evening will not be possible without you, Chief Adenike Okundaye.”

On the other hand, who wouldn’t be thrilled to be so effusively celebrated by a German president? Surely, such a

Some of the distinguished guests

Nigeria’s diverse rhythms, a showcase of the country’s resilience and creativity. This cultural interlude not only chimed with his assertion to the effect that the Nigeria-German relationship extends far beyond the realms of politics and economy but “also builds on a vibrant cultural exchange and the vivid cooperation between Nigerian and German artists, academics, and scientists,” adding that “no other African country sends more students to study in Germany than Nigeria.”

The exchange of artists between Germany and Nigeria is a shining example of their shared passion for art and culture. Germany’s long history of cultural engagement with Nigeria, dating back to the 1960s when the Goethe-Institut was founded in Lagos, has laid the groundwork for a fruitful collaboration. And, in a significant move that solidified their bond, Germany recently returned hundreds of Benin bronzes to Nigeria, a gesture hailed as a major display of cultural goodwill.

Steinmeier’s comments while he explored the exhibition—“What we are seeing here is a document of the variety of Nigerian art”—captured the essence of this cultural exchange. Indeed, his Nigerian hosts, through their vibrant display of traditional and modern art forms, not only reflected the country’s diverse cultural landscape but also connected both countries—like textile artists. It was just like he said in his opening remarks (with all puns intended): “You are busy knitting the ties and weaving the nets that bind our two countries and societies together.”

Space constraints, meanwhile, seemed to be a big issue at the Wednesday reception. Perhaps, had it not been for the strictly by-invitation nature of the event, the venue would have been swamped with members of the Lagos art community. Instead, the guest list was carefully curated to include a diverse mix of business leaders, media moguls, Nollywood celebrities, and culture enthusiasts.

This curated group included notable figures like Afrobeat musician Femi Kuti, his sister Yeni Kuti, the dancer Segun Adefila, the renowned filmmaker Kunle Afolayan, the Germany-based Nigerian sound artist Emeka Ogboh, and German-Nigerian musician Ade Bantu. They mingled with guests from the German and Nigerian business communities, creating a unique and lively atmosphere.

Among the visual artists in attendance were Ayoola Omovo, Timi Kakandar, and Dr. Bolaji Ogunwo, who were on hand to share insights into their works with the distinguished guest.

Steinmeier’s plans for the next day before flying to Johannesburg, South Africa, factored in a meeting with Nobel Prize-winning novelist Professor Wole Soyinka following a relatively hectic agenda that included a boat tour of the Lagos lagoon.

German President Steinmeier (right) with Chief Nike Okundaye and the German ConsulGeneral, Weert Börner

German President conversing with the Chairman/Editor-in-Chief of THISDAY/ArISE Media Group, Prince Nduka Obaigbena

at the event

high-profile endorsement should feel like the equivalent of receiving the Nobel Prize in the visual arts! As he toured the gallery’s ground floor

with Weert Börner, the German consul-general, and his wife, Dr. Imke Börner, President Steinmeier was treated to a kaleidoscope of

A Curatorial Vision Stoking a City’s Artistic Revival

Okechukwu Uwaezuoke

It all began with a question, Primrose Ochuba-Adekemi assures her interlocutor. And this question—a centuries-old quandary that continues to elicit intense curiosity and debate among art lovers and philosophers—is this: How does art capture the essence of a moment in time? It is one that, swirling around her fascination with art—a fascination fanned into a curatorial flame courtesy of fate—soon sparked her curiosity. Then this curiosity got the better of her, and she took the plunge into art history, emerging with a treasure trove of information on Nigerian artistic practices.

This University of Port Harcourt lecturer has, meanwhile, had a ringside seat to the lively conversation between tradition and innovation in the region’s thriving art scene. A peek into her odyssey reveals that it has been a wild ride, full of twists, turns, and “aha!” moments that continue to inspire her work as an art historian and curator. As she readily admits, she’s still hooked on that original question—proof that some mysteries are worth pursuing for a lifetime!

Talking about art, it has a magical way of bridging gaps—between generations, communities, and ideas. And Nigeria’s rich artistic heritage is no exception. Ochuba-Adekemi, a dynamic art historian and curator at Delaroke Art Gallery in Port Harcourt, who also holds a 2015 Masters in Fine and Applied Art (MFA) degree in textile design from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, has made it her mission to connect the dots between Nigeria’s cultural past and the fresh voices of today.

Then, there is Port Harcourt’s art ecosystem,

ENCOUNTER

which has undergone a stunning transformation in recent years. Beyond the iconic institutions like the University of Port Harcourt’s Fine Arts department and Ignatius Ajuru University, new spaces have emerged that are reshaping the city’s cultural landscape. Ochuba-Adekemi notes that these developments have brought a fresh wave of energy to the art scene. The city now boasts a network of independent galleries, artist-run spaces, and cultural centres that reflect its growing artistic vitality. Art lovers and collectors are taking notice, and new artists are emerging.

At Delaroke Art Gallery, Primrose OchubaAdekemi had the privilege of witnessing and contributing to Port Harcourt’s cultural renaissance. As the mastermind behind the gallery’s meteoric rise, she spearheaded the city’s cultural revival with her exceptional curatorial skills.

A significant number of exhibitions have, as milestones, been the hallmarks of her curatorial journey and contributed to Port Harcourt’s artistic dialogue.

First, there was Nwa Ala (2022), an exhibition that brought together 10 emerging artists from the Nsukka Art School. They tackled environmental justice and cultural preservation with ease, attracting a huge crowd and sparking meaningful conversations.

Fast-forward to Engraved (2024), a group show featuring Betiang Amadeus and Onyekachi Precious. This exhibition delved into Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage, exploring boyhood vulnerability and the freedom to feel.

Still in 2024, Ochuba-Adekemi curated four more exhibitions showcasing Nigerian art. Treasures Within featured Woko Aguru’s innovative works, transforming discarded materials into stunning pieces that challenged notions of waste and beauty. A Thin Line united five visionary painters from Port Harcourt and Abuja, revealing universal threads that weave through shared human experiences. Ideas, a solo exhibition by Chijioke Onyeador, resurrected forgotten mythologies with contemporary resonance. Lastly, Artivation—Experience presented a compelling display of works capturing the universal pulse of human existence through Nigerian creativity.

It was a fitting finale to a whirlwind year of art, culture, and magic.

Zoom in on Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital city, where tradition and industry are blending in a vibrant art scene. The presence of major oil companies has created an intriguing dynamic, where corporate patronage meets cultural preservation. This exciting nuptial has given birth to innovative partnerships and funding opportunities for local artists and institutions. “At Delaroke Art Gallery, my curatorial approach is all about sparking conversations between different artistic traditions and contemporary practices,” Ochuba-Adekemi reveals.

Her gallery’s programming strategy is a vibrant reflection of this approach, featuring regular exhibitions, educational workshops, artist talks, and collaborations with other cultural institutions across Nigeria. Ochuba-Adekemi is convinced that Port Harcourt is on the cusp of becoming a major cultural hub. To propel this vision forward, she’s committed to establishing international partnerships, developing a comprehensive digital archive of Niger Delta art, creating mentorship programs for emerging curators, and expanding the gallery’s exhibition programming to include more experimental and multimedia works.

The future of Port Harcourt’s art scene obviously depends on the continued engagement of all sectors of society. Hence, through her tireless work at Delaroke Art Gallery and beyond, Ochuba-Adekemi aims to contribute to the growing recognition of Nigeria’s artistic achievements, ensuring that oil-rich city’s unique voice continues to resonate in the national and international art world.

Celebrating Four Decades of Creativity Unmasking Art in Lagos

Yinka Olatunbosun

As part of the ongoing celebrations to commemorate the 40 years of Universal Studios of Art (USA), a prominent hub for nurturing Nigerian artistic talent, an exhibition titled Legacy IV: Honouring Tradition, Inspiring The Future was held in Lagos to honour the efforts of pioneering artists as well as other members of the studio.

The exhibition, which opened on December 1 and ends on December 16, is hosted by the Thought Pyramid Art Centre, Lagos. It features a collection of 75 artworks by 48 artists.

Universal Studios of Art has been a cornerstone of the Nigerian art scene since its establishment in 1980. The studio has mentored thousands of artists, many of whom have gone on to achieve significant recognition both locally and globally.

The curator of the exhibition, Ovie Omatsola, explained that the exhibition celebrates the rich heritage of the studio and its 40 years of artistic excellence while emphasising its role as a platform for artistic growth.

“Universal Studios Art has nurtured generations of artists whose works embody a dialogue between tradition, sustainability, and innovation,” Omatsola explained. “This exhibition reflects the studio’s commitment to inclusivity and excellence.”

The exhibition, which forms a part of the studio’s annual Legacy series, features works spanning various mediums, including paintings, mixed media, pottery, wooden and metal sculptures, pastel on paper, and bronze pieces.

It brings together a mix of established artists and emerging talents. Notable names include Bunmi Babatunde,Abiodun Olaku, Odogwu Fidelis, and Francis Uduh, alongside distinguished alumni such as Wande George, Wallace Ejoh, Ezekiel Osifeso, Adam Enesi, and Emeka Amadi.

“This exhibition highlights the diverse voices that have defined and continue to redefine the Nigerian art scene through sacrifices invested by pioneers and teachers at the studio. Each work on display reflects the unique journey of its creator while contributing to a shared USA vision—a legacy of excellence, mentorship, and artistic evolution.”

Among the works is Steve Ekpenisi’s metal sculpture, “Possibilities,” which captures the idea of overcoming challenges. Ekpenisi described his piece as a reflection of his journey thus: “The pose in the sculpture may seem impossible, but it represents the belief that anything is achievable

EXHIBITION

with effort.”

Another highlight is Daniel Olumide’s painting, “Foresight,” which portrays an elderly man with a thoughtful gaze, symbolising wisdom and life experience. Olumide, one of the studio’s young talents, said his work conveys the message that elders possess insights often overlooked by younger generations.

“Legacy IV is a testament to the enduring impact of Universal Studios Art on Nigeria’s art scene,” Omatsola said. “The exhibition not only honours the sacrifices of the pioneers but also highlights the vibrant creativity of the next generation.”

Abiodun Olaku, co-founder and trustee of Universal Studios Art, recalled the studio’s humble beginnings. “As a young artist 42 years ago, Universal Studios Art was where I began my professional journey. Over the years, we have trained students for industrial placements, helped many gain admission to art schools, and created an environment where artists could grow,” he said.

Olaku highlighted the importance of mentorship, urging young artists to seek guidance to refine their skills. “Mentorship provides a roadmap for success. If you are passionate about art, there are many people willing to help you develop your craft,” he added.

Mary Nnah

For many, the world of art is seen as an exclusive club for the wealthy. But the Lagos Art Salon is on a mission to change that. By making art more accessible and inclusive, they aim to break down social barriers and bring art to the masses. The 2024 LagosArt Salon, organised by Teal Culture, took place from November 28 to December 3 in Victoria Island, Lagos.

The five-day exhibition, themed Art Unmasked, showcased the incredible diversity and talent of Nigerian artists. The event brought the vibrant Lagos art community together, leaving a lasting impact on all who attended.

According to Folakemi Oloye, founder of The LagosArt Salon and Teal Harmony, parent company of Teal Culture, “The Lagos Art Salon is committed to promoting Nigerian art and providing a platform for artists to showcase their work. We envision this becoming a regular event, expanding to greater heights, and celebrating the brilliance of Nigerian art.”

The exhibition showcased a diverse collection of artworks, including paintings, sculptures, and mixed-media installations. This rich and immersive display allowed attendees to explore and interact with the art in a meaningful way.

The event attracted a wide range of visitors, from art collectors and creatives to influencers and local art enthusiasts. Guests enjoyed guided tours, insightful discussions with the featured artists, and a unique opportunity to connect with the art and artists. A highlight of the event was the Art Unmasked Master Class, which provided valuable insights into art investment and its potential as a valuable asset.

Additionally, the Lagos Art Salon offered a series of workshops and masterclasses, covering topics such as art appreciation, collecting, conservation, and restoration. These interactive sessions aimed to educate and inspire attendees, fostering a deeper appreciation for art.

The masterclass, moderated by Omotunde Ibironke, brought together a panel of experts, including financier and art patron Niyi Adenubi, renowned sculptor Ato Arinze, and National Theatre CEO Tola Akerele.

The exhibition showcased an impressive lineup of artists, featuring both resident and new exhibitors. Notable artists included AbdulRazaq. A. Titilayo, Usman Semiu Alvin, Omolola Coker, and Segun Akano, alongside resident artists Saheed Adelakun, Nathalie Kassi, and

Prince Moses.

Attendees, ranging from seasoned collectors to new enthusiasts, gained valuable insights into acquiring and preserving art. They also enjoyed guided tours, conversations with featured artists, and a networking session that fostered connections within the artistic and cultural communities.

The exhibition was open to the public from Saturday, November 30, to Tuesday, December 3, providing a space where visitors could immerse themselves in the creative expressions of the featured artists.

According to Oloye, “The inspiration behind the Unmasked theme is deeply personal. I’m passionate about stripping away the layers of misconceptions and biases that often surround art. For too long, art has been perceived as an elitist pursuit, inaccessible to those who don’t speak the language of the art world. But we believe that art is for everyone, regardless of their background or socioeconomic status.

“Our goal is to make art more accessible and intimate, allowing people to truly feel, consume, and live with it. We want to create a space where art lovers can connect with the artists, learn about their creative processes, and experience the beauty and emotion of art firsthand. By doing so, we hope to break down the barriers that have long separated art from the everyday lives of Nigerians,” she added.

Oloye emphasised that the Lagos Art Salon is committed to providing a platform for artists to showcase their work and to promote Nigerian art. She also noted that the event is designed to be immersive, allowing attendees to experience art in a unique and interactive way.

LAGOS ART SALON

One of the paintings at the exhibition

L-R: Folakemi Oloye, Nathalie Kassi and Kaka Doyle during the exhibition

Ochuba-Adekemi

Orlu

IN THE ARENA

Alarming Rate of Killing of Policemen

A recent report that indicates that at least 240 police personnel were killed between January 2023 and October 2024 signals a grave threat to the safety and security of all Nigerians, and demands decisive actions, Davidson Iriekpen writes

Arecently released report on the spike in the rate of killing of policemen is deeply troubling.

The report revealed that no fewer than 240 personnel of the Nigeria Police were killed between January 2023 and October 2024.

The police officers, according to the report, were killed by bandits, hoodlums, gunmen, Boko Haram terrorists, cultists and armed robbers across the country.

In 2023 alone, 122 police officers of various ranks were killed, and 118 others killed within 10 months in 2024. There were also cases of police officers killed by mobs in parts of the country.

The most recent incident was that of ASP Augustine Osupayi of the Lagos Police Command, who was lynched in October by a mob in Agege when his team was trying to prevent an execution of jungle justice.

At least 12 officers were killed between January 2 and 30, 2023. Seven other police officers were killed the following month in Imo, Nasarawa, Edo, Abia, Ebonyi, Anambra, Benue, Niger and Delta states.

This trend continued in March and April 2023, with the killing of 11 and 23 officers respectively.

The data also showed that bandits killed 11 police officers in Kebbi State on April 30, 2023, while ‘gunmen’ killed five cops in Imo State tate on April 21, 2023.

Between May and July of the same year, 36 personnel of the Nigeria Police were gunned down, with 17 casualties recorded in May.

Twenty-two police officers, according to the data, were killed in Benue State between August and December 2023.

At the beginning of this year, 15 policemen were killed at their respective duty posts. Seven of the slain officers were killed in Delta State.

Thirteen police officers were killed in February by members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB); while hoodlums killed a total of 10 cops in Ebonyi, Imo, Anambra and Edo states in March.

Many believe that the figure may be underreported because of inadequate institutional statistics, as Nigeria’s security agencies are not known for being forthcoming with casualty details.

For police officers and men who are trained and armed to enforce law and order to be slaughtered at such an alarming rate in a country that is not at war, is an indication of how cheap life has become in Nigeria.

In separate attacks on the convoy of the former governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim; the senator representing Anambra South, Ifeanyi Ubah, and Apostle Johnson Suleiman in 2022, a total of eight policemen were killed.

In Nigeria today, laying of ambush to kill security operatives on duty is assuming an alarming rate, particularly in the South-south, North-east, North-west and South-east regions of the country. The incidents in the North are understandable as soldiers and other security agencies are battling insurgency and banditry in the Northeast and North-west.

Gunmen have so far killed over 60 police officers in attacks on towns and communities in the South-east geopolitical zone of Nigeria. The attacks were believed to have been carried out by the Eastern Security Network (ESN), an armed wing of the secessionist IPOB.

On November 11, officers of the NSCDC were killed in a separate ambush in Kaduna and Borno states by terrorists.

Last March, 17 soldiers were killed in the Okuama community in Ughelli South Local Government Area of (LGA) Delta State. The casualties include a Lieutenant Colonel, two Majors, one captain and 12 soldiers.

In April, the military high command confirmed that bandits ambushed and gunned down six soldiers at Roro, Karaga and Rumace communities, Bassa Ward, Shiroro Local Government

Area, Niger State. A captain was also said to have been abducted during the incident.

Whether it is in the North-east, North-west and South-east where the Army is fighting Boko Haram terrorists, bandits and IPOB insurgents respectively, hundreds of soldiers have equally been killed.

Data obtained from the Council on Foreign Relations’ Nigeria Security Tracker (NST), a website that tracks violent incidents related to political, economic, and social grievances directed at the state or other affiliated groups, revealed that non-state actors killed no fewer than 323 security officers in 2022.

The civilian population is not spared. Over 3,000 people were believed to have been killed and 3,500 kidnapped in the second quarter of this year.

The alarming rate of attacks on security personnel show a worrying trend of lawlessness. From bandits to kidnappers, these non-state actors appear to wield considerable power, leaving both security personnel and civilians vulnerable. Streets have become battlegrounds for hoodlums, and respect for laws seems to have diminished. This unfolding scenario is alarming and demands urgent attention.

Security agents deserve the respect of all and sundry as they go about their statutory responsibility of protecting the nation and its people. A country’s security architecture is its pride. When

p OLITICAL NOT e S

it is reduced to sitting ducks by rag-tag armies of non-state actors as it is happening now, the country loses its pride.

While the security of Nigeria’s citizens is of paramount importance, the loss of any member of the security forces is a tragic event that should not be taken lightly.

Nigeria is not known to be at war, and if nonstate actors are allowed to become increasingly daring in their operations to the extent of killing this number of security officials, then the country will continue to be unsafe.

While many Nigerians appreciate the risks security personnel take in the course of carrying out their lawful duties, it has become increasingly important for security operatives to be more proactive in carrying out their professional duties so as not to become vulnerable to attacks. Nigerian security operatives should improve their capacity for intelligence gathering and react professionally to intelligence reports to forestall attacks from ambushes by non-state actors. Former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo suggested that Nigeria’s security challenges and emerging threats had made it imperative for the country’s security agencies and other relevant stakeholders to be several steps ahead of these enemies of the society.

This is why the government must take a decisive step to halt this sacrilege now and deal decisively with sponsors and promoters of these violent groups that have held Nigeria to ransom. Many analysts have advised governments to address the underlying social and economic issues that are fuelling violence. This could involve investing in programmes that address poverty and unemployment, as well as increasing access to education and other basic services.

Governments and security agencies should also work closely with the communities affected by violence, to ensure that they have a voice in the process of addressing the issues. This includes working with traditional and religious leaders, as well as civil society organisations, to build trust and establish effective communication channels.

Regardless of the reported misconduct of some bad elements within the force, Nigerians must unite in condemning these heinous acts against the police.

Above all, the federal government urgently needs to clamp down heavily on desperate politicians, who, in their various efforts to hold on to power or continue to remain relevant, sponsor non-state actors to wreak havoc or destabilise the polity.

For Yakubu, Silence Should Have Been an Option

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu came under attacks for ridiculing the commission by hailing Ghana for the seamless conduct of the 2024 presidential election and claiming that the country’s electoral body emulated INEC.

Former President John Mahama emerged winner of Ghana’s presidential election held on December 7, 2024, after his main opponent, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, conceded defeat.

Many Nigeria who condemned INEC on the social media, argued that the electoral umpire should have covered its face in shame

They accused Yakubu of going overboard to claim that Ghana learnt the management

of election results from Nigeria.

Nigerians watched with in utter disbelief how Yakubu lavished praises on his Ghanaian counterpart forconductingacredibleelectionthatsawanopposition leader emerge victorious as president-elect.

Besides the transparency that characterised the election, the results were known with 24 hours after the polls, unlike the Nigerian presidential election conductedunderYakubu’swatchwhichtookfivedays.

The same Yakubu presided over the widely criticised 2023 general election, marred by massive irregularities, manipulation of INEC’s technology and allegations of rigging by the major political parties.

ManycriticsconsidereditanaberrationforYakubu whose INEC has constantly failed Nigerians to have claimed that Ghanaian electoral body learnt from Nigeria.

The question many are asking the INEC chairman is that if INEC taught Ghana, how come Nigeria cannot have a credible elections across the country?

That almost 80 per cent of the elections conducted by him were challenged in court, speaks to the integrity of the institution under him.

InGhana,thepeople’svoteswererespectedandcounted, a stark contrast to the Nigerian experience.

With the massive investment INEC had made in technological innovations,Yakubu had the opportunity to conduct the most transparent and acceptable elections in Nigeria’s history. However, it is believe that INEC manipulated its own technology and undermined the essence of democracy.

As Ghana shines as a beacon of democracy, Nigeria, which should have been the leading democracy in Africa, hasbecomealaughingstockinthecomityofnations,having lost its prestigious ‘giant of Africa’ status.

Yakubu

Egbetokun

BRIEFING NOTES

Governors’ Growing Intolerance to Criticisms

With recent developments in states like Imo, Kano, Kaduna, Sokoto, and Yobe, where the civic space is increasingly stifled and dissenting voices are often targeted or even abducted by the police at the behest of certain governors, the growing intolerance of state leaders toward criticism is becoming more evident, e jiofor Alike reports

Since he emerged as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and continuing into his presidency, President Bola Tinubu has faced both constructive and destructive criticisms in conventional and social media.

Despite these large doses of insults, there has been no report of any journalist, social critic or opposition politician being abducted and clamped into detention by the security agencies for “insulting” the president.

But it is common knowledge that many Nigerians have been persecuted by the security agencies at the instance of governors who are intolerant to criticisms.

While President Tinubu has tolerated insults to his person and office, in line with the tenets of democracy, some governors have become emperors who order the arrest and detention of critics in their states for insulting them.

For instance, in Sokoto State, an aide to Senator Aminu Tambuwal, the immediate past governor of the state and serving senator, Mr. Shafi’u Umar Tureta, was remanded in a correctional facility for allegedly insulting Governor Ahmad Aliyu, on Facebook.

Tambuwal’s aide allegedly shared a document that purportedly showed that Aliyu scored F9 in English Language in the senior school certificate examination (SSCE).

Tureta was also said to have shared videos to mock the governor for not “being fluent in English” and was accused of posting a video in July showing the spraying of dollar notes during the birthday celebration of the governor’s wife, Fatima.

Amnesty International Nigeria had condemned his arrest, saying it was “unacceptable.”

“This surge in human rights violations by the Sokoto State government is unacceptable and must end now,” it reportedly said.

While that was still raging, a woman, Hamdiyya Sidi, was arrested and put in prison for allegedly lamenting the rising killings and general insecurity in the state.

In a viral video, Ms. Sidi revealed how bandits pillaged their villages without restraints, and how displaced women seeking refuge in the state capital are now being sexually exploited due to abject poverty and squalor.

In Kano State, a journalist, Muktar Dahiru, who was accused of making a Facebook post considered “insulting” to Governor Abba Yusuf was arrested and remanded in prison.

Dahiru, who works with Pyramid FM Kano, a radio station managed by the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), was arrested on August 29, based on the allegation of sharing multiple audio interviews in which opposition politicians criticised the Kano State governor.

In July, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress

Chairman of NGf, Abdulrasaq

(APC), Mr. Abdul Majid Mustapha a.k.a Dan Bilki Commander, was brutalised in Abuja by suspected thugs for allegedly insulting Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State on social media.

In a video that went viral, he was seen in handcuffs being interrogated and assaulted by a group of men who accused him of insulting Governor Sani.

Though the state government dissociated itself from the incident and claimed that it had ordered a probe, the victim accused the state government of not tolerating dissent views.

“Previously, they (the state government) humiliated a lady and a social media influencer who supports El-Rufai. The guy was brutalised at a market.

“Uba Sani hates opposition because he doesn’t know politics. Only a real politician knows the value of opposition. Obasanjo, Yar’Adua, Goodluck, and Buhari were opposed, and now Bola Tinubu is being opposed. Uba

Sani doesn’t know politics and he will not know because he is arrogant,” Commander was quoted in a media report.

He added that his attackers picked him up at Jabi Lifecamp and dropped him off at Wuse ll.

“After removing the handcuffs, they asked me never to comment on Governor Uba Sani again. And if I do, they will pick me again. They said if I kicked them, they would kill me,” he added.

Governor Sani’s predecessor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai was also accused of persecuting journalists, rights activists, and other dissent voices during his eight-year tenure. Though he did not order their arrest, he went after their properties.

Earlier this month, a Niger State-based journalist, Mustapha Bina, was detained by the Department of State Services (DSS) after reporting an alleged bandit attack on Governor Umaru Bago’s motorcade during a project tour to Mashegu Local Government Area.

Though the state government denied the incident, Bina was arrested and detained by the DSS, allegedly on the orders of Governor Bago.

In Benue State, a 35-year-old man, Paul Gyenger,

Notes for file enough of NCAA’s rhetoric

Last week’s warning by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to airlines over delays in refunding passengers, appears to be mere rhetoric NCAA, according to its Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, expressed concern over a specific case of delayed refund involving Air Peace. He cited Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations, which mandates that refunds for cash purchases must be immediate and in cash, while refunds for tickets purchased via electronic channels must be completed within 14 days.

Acknowledging the challenges faced by airlines, Achimugu highlighted the efforts made by the NCAA to foster a supportive relationship between

regulators and operators, noting significant improvements in their collaboration.

However, he stressed that non-compliance with refund timelines undermines the regulator’s goodwill and the passengers’ trust.

While apologising to passengers who have experienced delays, Achimugu revealed plans to advocate a reduction in the refund time frame from 14 to seven days, describing it as a feasible step toward delivering world-class service to Nigerian travellers.

As serious as Achimugu appeared, his words held no significance as past warnings were ignored by airlines.

Lately, there is nothing the NCAA has warned the airlines against in the past that they are not perpetrating. Whether it is de-

was remanded in prison in October for allegedly calling Governor Hyacinth Alia a “chronic womaniser” on his social media platform.

Gyenger was arraigned before the Makurdi Chief Magistrate’s Court.

However, the Chief Magistrate, Mr. Kelvin Mbanongun, who did not take the suspect’s plea due to a lack of jurisdiction, adjourned the matter until December 17.

Also, the Yobe State Police Command had on December 11, 2022, arrested a 16-year-old boy, Umar Isah, for allegedly insulting the state governor, Mai Mala Buni, on social media.

On many occasions, police officers from one state have had to travel to another state to abduct perceived enemies of the governors.

On August 19, 2022, a journalist and activist, Agba Jalingo was abducted from his Ogudu residence in Lagos State for allegedly publishing an article that was deemed ‘insulting’ to Mrs Elizabeth Ayade, a sister-in-law of the then Cross River State governor, Prof. Ben Ayade.

Jalingo, who is the publisher of an online medium, CrossRiverWatch, was subsequently detained at the Alapere Police Station and later at Area F Command in Ikeja before he was flown to Abuja the next day by police operatives from the FCT Command. Last month, the wife of an ex-commissioner in Imo State raised the alarm that her husband, Fabian Ihekweme, had been abducted by suspected gunmen in Abuja.

She claimed that Governor Hope Uzodimma sent “unknown men” who abducted her husband. But the police spokesperson in Imo, Mr. Henry Okoye, an assistant superintendent of police, claimed that Ihekweme was “lawfully arrested” by police detectives, and not abducted by gunmen. However, his arrest was said to be connected to his frequent criticism of Governor Uzodimma’s administration.

He has since sued the Nigeria Police over his arrest and prolonged detention. Ihekweme filed the fundamental rights enforcement suit before a Federal High Court in Abuja, demanding an order for his immediate release and the sum of N5 million in damages against the Imo State Police Command for the “unlawful harassment, assault adoption/arrest and detention, persecution.”

With these recent developments, it is becoming glaring that some governors have become tyrants, who stifle public space against dissent voices and welcome only praise-singing and sycophancy.

With the level of intolerance, abuse of power and impunity exhibited by these governors with the connivance of the federal police authorities, many who are opposed to the creation of state police, have expressed the fear that the governors might use them to run their political opponents out of their states.

ceptive departure time scheduling, flight delays and others, no sanction has ever been meted out to them to serve as a deterrent, thereby exposing the agency to frequent ridicule.

It cannot in all sincerity feign ignorance to the plight of Nigerians in the hands of airlines. The airlines seem to be untouchable and impervious to change.

Institutional failure has always been described as the bane of sustainable development in the country.

In today’s governance assessment scheme, how well the citizens are satisfied with government’s service delivery is a critical barometer for determining whether or not a particular administration has succeeded or failed.

The NCAA should stop the rhetoric and save air passengers who are now at the mercy of airlines.

Keyamo

Lights! Camera! Google!

Vanessa Obioha

Ever wondered what it would be like to have your internet searches brought to life on the runway? Wonder no more, as Google recently demonstrated that it’s possible to merge data and creativity into a vibrant fashion show.

Typically, Google ends the year by releasing its annual report of trending searches. However, for 2024, the tech giant flipped the script. In addition to unveiling the year’s top searches, Google transformed the search trends into a dazzling runway spectacle.

Held at the Landmark Event Centre in Victoria Island, Lagos, the event was attended by journalists, celebrities, and influencers, who watched and cheered as search trends were reinterpreted into wearable art. The runway featured everything from athleisure to royalty-inspired designs.

This innovative approach, according to Google’s West Africa Communications Manager, Taiwo KolaOgunlade, was intended to bring the Google Search Lists closer to the people in a relatable way.

“We wanted to tell a story, to bring the list closer to the people, and fashion was the perfect medium because it mirrors our bold, expressive, and colourful culture. By partnering with The Style Infidel, Ethnik Africa, and other designers, we transformed search trends into wearable art that tells a story,” he said.

Hosted by renowned fashion designer Mai Atafo, the runway show featured five distinct collections representing various trending topics of the year.

For example, Active Flavours merged trends in sports and food, with models strutting in vibrant athleisure wear. The Future Grid collection, which focused on searches about gadgets, news, and top questions, included long jackets and blazers. Among the featured questions was one of Nigeria’s most-searched: “How much is dollar to naira today?”

The Royalty collection reflected searches for influential personalities like celebrities and influencers, with models dressed in iconic national attire, such as the agbada. This segment was followed by an energetic music and dance performance.

One of the evening’s more poignant moments was the Legacy collection, a tribute to personalities lost during the year. Icons such as veteran songstress and politician Onyeka Onwenu, comedian John Okafor (Mr. Ibu), and actor and content creator Junior Pope were honored. Models in elegant black ensembles walked the runway, accompanied by a stirring spoken word performance from poet Ore Macaulay, effectively capturing the sombre mood.

The show concluded with the Pop Culture collection, which translated searches for movies, music, and

Princess Oghene Launches Compendium at

GAHAwards 12th Edition

Vanessa Obioha

At the 12th edition of the GAHAwards, recently held, convener Dr. Princess Oghene launched her new compendium, Against All Odds: Global GAHAwards Chronicles. Authored by Oghene, the book is a collection of inspiring stories about leaders, innovators, and changemakers. Each chapter highlights the resilience and determination of these trailblazers, showcasing strategies and collaborations that extend beyond Nigerian shores.

This year’s event, themed Against All Odds, featured both a summit and an awards ceremony. In her opening remarks, Dr. Oghene described the theme as capturing “the essence of what we need to build a lasting legacy, to rise above adversity, and to create opportunities where others see obstacles.”

The summit included panel sessions with speakers from various sectors, addressing the challenges facing businesses and strategies for overcoming them.

In a keynote speech, former Labour Party gubernatorial candidate for Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, discussed the collective and individual challenges facing Nigeria. He argued that Nigerians are experiencing a crisis of identity that keeps them divided.

“This challenge for me is a mental one,” he said. “It is why, individually, Nigerians are superstars all over the world, but as a collective, we are home to multidimensional poverty. Even our attempts at unity in the African Union are funded mostly by non-Africans, and this has to change.”

He called for a shift in mindset, particularly in education and leadership. “We must start to nurture empire ambition, where we not only think about today, but we think about three to four generations that are coming, and we make our plans in that regard and also manage our resources with them in

Oghene and Ali Baba

mind.”

Rhodes-Vivour also emphasised the importance of teaching children “and ourselves our true history, the greatness of Africa,” because, in his point of view, this will help us to understand that Africa is the founder of civilisation and not the receiver.

He further highlighted how poor policies negatively impact businesses, urging a reevaluation of leadership and economic strategies.

Prominent personalities participated in the summit, including veteran comedian Atunyota Akpobome, popularly known as Ali Baba. He emphasized the importance of retraining staff to add more value to businesses and discussed the role of education in the creative industry, especially in today’s tech-driven age. Other panellists include the president of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, Special Adviser to the Lagos State Government on Climate Change and Circular Economy, Titilayo Oshodi, Founder of Slot Systems Limited, and Nnamdi Ezigbo, among others.

The awards ceremony recognized leaders across various fields. Chima Anyaso, Chairman of the Caades Group, received the award for Best NGO Impact of the Year, Dr. Simon Adozi was named Real Estate Developer of the Year, and Akhator Peace was recognized as the GAHAwards Business Excellence Icon.

A Cultural Spectacle at AFWN 2024

Nigerian culture came alive at the Africa Fashion Week Nigeria (AFWN) runway show, celebrating its 10th anniversary in grand style. From vibrant masquerades dancing on the runway and cultural troupes to the creative brilliance of the designers, the event was a rich showcase of the nation’s cultural heritage.

The three-day affair was graced by notable dignitaries, including His Imperial Majesty, the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, the Erelu Kuti IV of Lagos, Chief Abiola Dosunmu, the former First Lady of Ekiti, Bisi Fayemi, and the First Lady of Kwara, Olufolake AbdulRazaq.

Over 60 designers showcased their collections, each incorporating African textiles and materials that reflect Nigeria’s cultural identity. For instance, designer Modela presented models in raffia ensembles, while Adire Teems highlighted Adire and Aso-oke fabrics. Minengiby took elegance to new heights with her collection, featuring regal long flowing gowns. Meanwhile, Ejiro Amos Tafiri, known for her innovative styles, had Big Brother Naija alumni Seyi Awolowo and Saga Adeoluwa walk the runway in her designs.

In collaboration with Sterling Bank, AFWN 2024 also introduced the Emerging Designers Competition, where Adesua Ella of Lambert Fashion was named the inaugural winner. Her prize included a staycation at the Kunle Afolayan Production (KAP) Academy resort, courtesy of Sterling Bank, as well as an all-expenses-paid opportunity to showcase her designs at Africa Fashion Week London 2025.

AFWN’s convener, Queen Ronke Ademuliyi Ogunwusi, also announced an exciting partnership with the London School of Economics for an executive masterclass program designed to provide valuable support to Nigerian designers. “This programme, the Economics of Fashion, is about economic opportunities and how Nigerian and African creatives can create jobs, stimulate entrepreneurship, and provide market access for young designers,” she explained.

“It’s obvious that the traditional curriculum courses taught in our universities here in Nigeria are not enough anymore to provide jobs for our youth, and we need to teach them skills that will equip them for jobs of the future – creative skills. By supporting these local creative businesses, we can help drive economic growth and development.”

The Royal Saga ‘Ori Ade Fadaka’ Lands in 2025

Nollywood actor Kudirat Fatai is set to release her muchanticipated Yoruba classic, ‘Ori Ade Fadaka,’ in 2025. The film was recently unveiled at a private screening, where Fatai shared the inspiration behind the project and her vision for its impact.

Produced by Fatai and directed by Olawale Adebayo, ‘Ori Ade Fadaka’ is set in a royal palace, where love, betrayal, and power struggles threaten

the kingdom’s stability. An ailing king (Jide Kosoko) faces heartbreak as his son (Rotimi Salami) falters under external influences, while the queen’s (Jaiye Kuti) dark secret deepens the household’s turmoil.

Amidst the chaos, the devoted princess (Kudirat Fatai) strives to save her father, contrasting with the palace chiefs’ clashing loyalties and schemes. With explosive confrontations and unveiled truths, the film highlights the triumph of

integrity and devotion over deceit and ambition.

“I thought of our culture in Africa when making this film. ‘Ori Ade Fadaka’ is a mix of classic and epic genres. I thought about how we can spread love in our homes and communities, and that is the main inspiration behind the story,” Fatai revealed. She added, “Now, more than ever, we need to encourage our children, especially the girl child. The girl child shouldn’t be underestimated or discriminated

against. We should share equal love among them.” Writing for the film began in January 2024 and was completed in February. Principal photography took place in March, lasting two months at the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), Oyo State. Other notable actors in the lineup include Segun Arinze, Bimbo Akintola, and Antar Laniyan. ‘Ori Ade Fadaka’ makes its cinematic debut on February 7, 2025.

Vanessa Obioha

Iyke Bede

Snapshots from Google fashion event

princess

A model at AFwN runway

fashion into a fun, hippy showcase. Models danced to a live performance by rising Nigerian artist, Taves, closing out the event on a high note.

Antar Laniyan in Ori Ade

Germany and Nigeria: The 2024 German President’s Visit and Nigeria’s Diplomacy of 4-Ds

Vsit is a critical instrument of bilateral diplomacy and inter-personal relationships. At the level of the inter-personal relationships, it compels the host individuals to clean up the house and make it quite presentable. Entertainment becomes a priority on the reception agenda. In fact, more often than not, the best of the best food is generally reserved for the visiting guest. This is the African tradition.

At the international level, it is generally more interesting. When foreign leaders are expected, preparations for the visit often begin from where he or she should be accommodated, especially bearing in mind the status. The airport reception is also articulated, particularly determining the level of the public official to receive him or her. The issue of who should receive the visiting leader is a resultant of many factors: reciprocal treatment; status of the relationship in terms of whether the visit is official, unofficial, working, officious, or state; self-esteem or holier-than-thou or superior-than-thou mentality of the receiving state, mutual regard, and nature of the visit, etc.

During the time of the French Community as established under the French Fifth Republic in 1958, Francophone African leaders like Félix Houphouët-Boigny of the Côte d’Ivoire and Léopold Sédar Senghor of Senegal were normally received at the airport by the French President. All others were received by assigned Ministers to receive them at the airport and would later be received at the Elysée, the presidential palace. It is against this background that we begin the analysis of the Germano-Nigerian relations as a prolegomena to the visit of the German President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, to Nigeria.

Germano-Nigerian Relations

Nigeria’s bilateral relationship with Germany is maintained at the ambassadorial level, with Nigeria maintaining its diplomatic mission in Berlin and its Consulate General in Frankfurt. German Embassy in Nigeria is located in Abuja while its Consulate General is in Lagos. The location of diplomatic mission in the political capital of every sovereign State is as required by international diplomatic law and practice.

In general practice, embassies are located in the political capital majorly because of nearness to the seat of Government of the host country. This facilitates the performance of the representational and national interest duties of diplomatic missions. When, for instance, embassies are located in the political capital, it might be because the seat of government is not in the capital city, or the diplomatic relationship is not of significance, or because of funding, and thus requiring finding a place in the suburbs of the capital city. In the context of Germany and Nigeria, they have always had their embassies in their political capitals. German Embassy used to be in Victoria Island in Lagos before the capital was moved to Abuja on 12 December, 1991 under General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida. In the same vein, following the reunification of West and East Germany on 3 October 1990 and the reinstatement of Berlin as the capital city of united Germany, Nigeria established her mission in Berlin. Both countries simply turned their former embassies in Lagos to consulates-general. Germano-Nigerian relations cover cooperation in different areas: cultural, trade, technical and technological. At the cultural level, for instance, in 2021, the German Minister of Culture, announced that his country would be returning hundreds of art objects that were ill-gotten from the Benin royal palace to Nigeria. About 83000 Nigerians live in Germany as at 2021 and were reported to ‘have very high rates of employment in Germany among immigrants, second to the Pakistanis. Nigerians live mainly in Berlin, Bremen, Hamburg, Hanover, and Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, in all of which more than one thousand Nigerians live. In fact, most Nigerians reside in the Rhein-Ruhr, Berlin, Köln-Bonn, Rhein-Main, and Hanover-Braunschweig regions of Germany. If most Nigerians are gainfully employed in Germany, it not only reflects their competencies, but also why the ‘japa syndrome’ cannot but continue in the foreseeable future.

: 0807-688-2846 e-mail: bolyttag@yahoo.com

At the level of economic ties, especially commercial exchanges, the German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Ms. Svenja Schulze, paid a courtesy visit to the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning, Mr Nebolisa Anako. During the visit, Mr Anako noted that Nigeria-German mutual commitment ‘is a testament to the strength of the Nigerian-German development cooperation, paving the way for achieving our shared objectives.’ He noted further Nigeria’s satisfaction with Germany’s priority areas of support with Nigeria’s National Development Plan (NDP) 2021-2025. This confluence of interests underscores the depth of their relationships.’ In reaction, Ms Schulze underscored the enduring ‘good relationship’ between the two countries and the purpose of her visit which was to ‘discuss new partnerships in light of the dynamics and regional security threats, and to strengthen their bilateral relations.

In terms of trade, Nigeria’s exports are mainly crude oil ($2.14bn), cocoa butter ($39.1 m), and nitrogenous fertilizer ($35.4m) while the exports have increased at an annualised rate of 5.76% since 2020. As shown by the records of the OEC.world, ‘in 2017, Germany exported to Nigeria goods worth $1.246bn. The main products exported from Germany to Nigeria were wheat ($142m; washing and bottling machines ($53m); and cars ($48.3m). During the last five years, the exports of Germany to Nigeria have decreased at an annualised rate of 0.57% from 1.28bn in 2022 to $1.24bn in 2017. Explained differently, could it be that Nigeria is exporting more to Germany or that Germany is not buying more from Nigeria? Whatever is the case, what is the rationale for the situation?

There is also the problem of declining need for oil and gas and the politics of clean energy. The German State Secretary and Special Envoy for International Climate Action, Mrs Jennifer Morgan, paid a three-day visit to Nigeria in May 2024. In her lecture delivered at the University of Lagos, the objective of the visit was made clear: gain deeper insight into the energy transition scene in the country, as well as advocate for collective efforts to

Without whiff of doubt, the policy of zero tolerance to unconstitutional change of government should be with a dint of caution and sagacity. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger are no longer acting severally but as another body corporate like the ECOWAS. No matter the diplomacy and Solomonic wisdom that PBAT may want to deploy to bring the ASS countries back to the ECOWAS, it can no longer be on the basis of one-by-one. To expect their return to the ECOWAS as individual sovereign states is a myth. The perception of the ECOWAS as an instrument in the hands of the European powers and the anti-French policy of the people-supported military junta in the ASS countries necessarily make their return to the ECOWAS quite difficult. ECOWAS should begin to reckon with Senegal as a Member of both the ASS and the ECOWAS. Ditto for the ASS countries which naturally constitute a sub-region of the West Africa region in consonance with the provision of Article 1(e) of the 1991 Abuja Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community. What is left as a viable option for PBAT is to negotiate with the AES or ASS as a body corporate. Negotiations by the ECOWAS as a regional organisation and the ASS as a sub-regional organisation to which Senegal has the potential to also join in the foreseeable future, without ignoring Chad in the Central Africa region, serves the purpose of fast-tracking continental integration which is the main purpose of re-dividing Africa into five regions.

promote cleaner and more sustainable energy.

As explained by Mrs Morgan, ‘we are experiencing multiple crises at once – debt, development, energy, climate and food security. At the same time, we are also in the middle of a global economic transformation. This new kind of economy aims at inclusive growth, energy security and universal access to clean and affordable energy. It is increasingly based on renewable energies such as solar, wind and green hydrogen.’ In fact, she added, ‘these are the sectors, where the jobs of now are growing and the jobs of the future can be found.’

In essence, Mrs Morgan came to warn Nigeria about the dangers of transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy and about the problem of global climate crisis which can engender extreme heat waves, flooding and poor air quality, as well as cause food insecurity. She wanted Nigeria to take advantage of the benefits that exist for Nigeria in the global energy transition. It is against this background that the visit of the German president’s visit to Nigeria and to other African countries should be understood. The issue of energy, its opportunities and challenges are a major feature in the various discussions of the German leader.

The German President’s Visit

The visit of the German President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, was state in design, meaning that it is at the crescendo of the continuum of visits. In the words of PBAT, the visit ‘is a significant milestone.’ It was a return visit or a follow-up to PBAT’s own visit to Germany. The cardinal purpose not only reflects the projection of Nigeria’s diplomacy of the 4-Ds (Development, Democracy, Demography, and Diaspora), but also the fostering of the principle of interdependence in international diplomacy. In terms of the focal application of the diplomacy of the 4-Ds, it is mainly divided into two: tactical and strategic. The ultimate focus is sustainable development in various ramifications. This is the strategic focus, which is enabled by the other three Ds serving as the tactical tools. As tactics, they witness changes while the ultimate objective of sustainable development remains constant. Without whiff of doubt, the PBAT administration is much aware that the current globalising world has been insisting on democratic governance since the Franco-African Summit of 20 June, 1990 held in La Baule, a coastal resort in the Southern Brittany of France. At the summit, then French President, François Mitterrand, made democratisation a conditionality for the grant of development aid to developing countries. It is against this background that in the restructuring of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) into the African Union, emphasis is generally placed on the promotion of good governance and democracy.

For instance, the African Governance Architecture (AGA) was put in place in 2011 as a platform for dialogue between and among all stakeholders with the mandate to promote good governance and democracy as required by the AU Constitutive Act and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and governance (ACDEG). Besides, there is also the Africa Facility to Support Inclusive Transitions (AFSIT), an initiative by the AU and the UNDP to promote democracy governance, peace, and security. And perhaps more notably is the provision (Chapter 22) of the African Charter of Human and People’s Rights which has prompted the ECOWAS zero tolerance for unconstitutional change of government. Christopher Nyinevi and Richard Fosu noted in March 2023 in their article (The African Union’s Prohibition of Unconstitutional Changes of Government: An Uneasy Choice between Fidelity to Principle and Pragmatism) differentiated between three types of unconstitutional change of government.

The first is coups d’états, coupled with other violent changes of democratically-elected governments. The second covers the refusal of an incumbent government to hand over power following loss of election or prolonging its tenure; and the constitutional manipulations to win. Nyinevi and Fosu said ‘apart from cases of coup d’état and other violent overthrows of government, the AU has not been consistent with its application of the sanction regime.’ This is an observation that the PBAT administration is much conscious of and therefore trying to tell the world that Nigeria is a country and people of democracy. This is how the adoption of democracy as a constituent pillar of Nigeria’s foreign policy has become a desideratum.

Demography and the Diaspora naturally go pari passu, that is, hand-in-hand as they constitute the two sides of the same development coin. Development is, at best, meaningless without the people as catalytic agents. The people with a multi-dimensional and experiential background and wrapped up with globally-sought professional expertise, cannot but be well capitalised upon in every development calculation. Nigeria does not simply have the biggest population, but particularly also has the largest area of arable land in Africa.

Put differently, Nigeria’s foreign policy strategic calculations is to use Nigeria’s big population, big arable land to endear the very vibrant Nigerians in Diaspora to invest in Nigeria’s future. Inflow of funds from the Nigerians in Diaspora has been about $25 billion in the average in the past one decade. While the Nigerians in Diaspora are helping with funding, the development partners of Nigeria, like the Federal Republic of Germany, are expected to assist in the area of technology infrastructure investment in order to stimulate the economy in various ramifications

Read full article online - www.thisdaylive.com

Tinubu and Frank-Walter Steinmeier

PersPective NNPCL: Are We Allergic to Success?

Kola Adeleye

The attempt by vested powerful interests to cast serious doubt on the resumption of crude oil production at the rehabilitated and modernised Port Harcourt refinery complex exposes the feline underbelly of a nation suffering from serious trust deficit and the desperate gambit of political predators for mischief.

After decades of hiatus, during which the Port Harcourt refinery laid in limbo, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPC, Mele Kyari delivered a ground breaking milestone with the resumption of crude oil processing at the complex under his guidance and leadership. This remarkable achievement under the Tinubu administration rattled implacable opponents of his government; instead of celebrating this significant achievement and the new era of energy independence and economic growth for our nation that it portended, what we have witnessed is an extensive propaganda campaign to diminish the milestone.

Instead of being applauded for his service, his consuming passion and unwavering commitment to the transformation of our nation’s energy landscape, Kyari is being vilified for guiding the Port Harcourt refinery back to full operations by a misguided cabal.

As has become self-evident, there are those who believe that the present administration and even our brightest technocrats are incapable of any meaningful achievement, that our nation is irredeemable. As a result of the combination of this dark mindset and hatred of the present administration, decent and informed discourse has become practically impossible. As a result of the desperation to control the narrative of a country where nothing works, we are, unfortunately, being cudgeled and browse beaten with lies and false narratives by agent provocateurs in their relentless pursuit of a questionable political agenda nourished by the determination to score cheap political points.

Every action and policy of government and activities of institutions in which government has vested interest are unnecessarily demonized; in order to achieve their selfish objective, malicious lies are being weaponized to rubbish the government.

If dissent is indeed the highest form of patriotism as often attributed to Thomas Jefferson, then purveyors of vile propaganda in this instant case should be regarded as villains. Truth is immutable and will always survive attempts to bury it no matter the determination of the undertakers.

The truth remains that in 2021, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved $1.5bn for the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt refinery. Against the backdrop of failed Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) of the refinery on several occasions in the past amidst allegations of sabotage, Mele Kyari assured the nation that his leadership would ensure the successful completion of the rehabilitation process. True to his commitment and pledge, the refinery resumed production officially on November 26, 2024 with the initial release of one million litres of refined products. This breakthrough engineered by Kyari caught the peddlers of the malicious lies off guard and punctured the central plank of the narrative of a failed energy behemoth.

Needless to state that the inconsolable propaganda merchants have deployed every nasty tactics from their infamous playbook to sow doubts about one of the major achievements of the Tinubu administration without much impact .

Their pushback notwithstanding, the significance of successfully bringing back the Port Harcourt refinery on stream and the implication on the economy is not lost on discerning citizens. The refinery complex comprising two operational units established in 1965 and 1989 respectively with a combined capacity of 210,000 barrels per day had at various times been shut down due to a combination of factorslack of maintenance, technical issues and funding constraints. But with the return to production, the Port Harcourt refinery is set to play a critical role in the country’s oil landscape and economy. In line with his vision of innovation, openness and accountability which continues to define the remarkable transformation of NNPCL under his guidance, Mele Kyari, in his reaction to the sustained false claims by lie peddlers invited them and indeed Nigerians for a complete on the spot tour of the Port Harcourt refinery. In response to his invitation, several professional bodies and stakeholders have undertaken the tour of the refinery and have become compelling witnesses to the

revamp and upgrade of the refinery with modern equipment.

Recently, a fact finding delegation of the Nigeria Society of Chemical Engineers led by its President, Tony Ogbuigwe and other stakeholders visited the revived facility and from what they saw on ground confirmed that the refinery was back in operation and indeed running smoothly.

The team of core professionals whose assessment carries a lot of weight also took samples of the products - petrol, diesel and kerosene. During the tour of Area 5 housing the revived refinery, they witnessed a seamless production process; after the crude oil arrived the refinery, they observed it go through the Crude Distillation Unit, there is distillation in the column with products coming out from the column at various levels. From this stage, the top is gas, which invariably produces cooking gas; the next level down is straight-run gasoline. The next level is heavy naphtha, then kerosene, diesel and then crude oil at the bottom of the column. The stakeholders including marketers and regulators witnessed the loading of about 200 trucks at the gantry.

With the re-streaming of the Port Harcourt refinery by Mele Kyari validated beyond doubt by independent stakeholders, paving the way for the delivery of high quality petroleum

products into the market, the country’s flagship giant with eyes firmly fixed on satisfying demands in the local market, has proven that it also has the capacity to play the big league in the international scene. Already, NNPCL has sold the first cargo of Port Harcourt low sulfur straight run fuel oil (LSSR) to Gulf Transport & Trading Limited (GTT) based in Dubai. The loading of 15,000 metric tonnes of the product which translates to about 13.6 million litres onboard the Wonder Star MR1 ship signalled the commencement of the exportation of petroleum products by NNPCL.

Currently, the global market share may not be huge but this development has the potential to impact the Very Low Sulfur Oil (VLSO) benchmarks in the future with the capacity to change the market realities for Atlantic Basin exporters into Nigeria and other regions.

According to Kpler, a data and analysis company, the sulfur content of the export by NNPCL is at 0.26 per cent wt and a 0.918 g/ml density at 15 centigrade. This significant move by NNPC, according to experts, would help displace imports from traditional suppliers in Africa and Europe. This is because Nigeria’s falling clean product( CPP) imports are already declining, dragging imports into the wider West Africa region lower as well.

Despite the huge leap represented by the coming on stream of the refinery, the march towards energy self-sufficiency is still on. With the first unit of the refinery complex already on stream and the second unit of the plant with the capacity to deliver 150,000 barrels per day set to come on stream by mid-2025, the prospects are hovering on a positive territory.

Mele Kyari’s pledge of delivering proper rehabilitation including turnaround maintenance is fundamental; under his guidance, NNPC has ensured that there is an established professional technical operations and maintenance (O&M) team with the responsibility of operating and maintaining the facilities. The combined effect of the operationalization of the two units is that with the first unit already running smoothly and the coming on stream of the upgraded 150,000 barrels second unit by mid 2025 will resolve all fuel insufficiency challenges and make Nigeria a net exporter of refined petroleum products.

This eureka moment which is within touching distance would not have been possible without the managerial acumen, strong corporate governance skills, unrelenting commitment, consuming passion, relentless advocacy and patriotic zeal of Mele Kyari.

Mary Lou Retton famously stated that, “Each of us has a fire in our hearts for something. It is our goal in life to find it and keep it lit.” In the case of Mele Kyari, he has found his own goal and lit the flame of service nurtured by a strong passion to recreate the world and make a difference for the good of humanity.

Time and opportunity are two critical factors fundamental to the realization of set goals no matter how lofty. It is in this light that Nigerians should applaud President Tinubu for giving Kyari the opportunity to continue to serve his country in the present capacity. His stellar performance in office has amply demonstrated that his reappointment to his present position by the president is indeed the right call. As Kyari confronts and resolves the challenges in the oil sector and with his vision approaching a shattering climax, the unfurling of the country’s energy revolution is looking inevitable.

Adeleye,theHeadofPracticeof AtlanticStarLogisticsConsulting, wrotefromIkoyi,Lagos.

Kyari

ENGAGEMENTS

Postcard from Damascus

Unlikeinthelast24yearsofhispower and crushing majesty, Bashar alAssadhadadecisionquicklymade for him.The choice between flying out of Hmeimim air base in his super luxury presidential jet and a rugged military version of the Russian SU 35 duty jet was quickly made for him in the thick of darkness. The special squad ofmilitaryintelligenceofficersdetailedbyVladimir Putin and the elite squad of his own intelligence service to ferret him out of Damascus had no time for protocol niceties. Their task was simple: fly Assad and his family safely out of Syria and into Moscow where the grounds had been prepared for his life in exile. Roughly three hours of flight into uncertainty.

With his evacuation from the Presidential fortressinDamascus,Assad’stwoandhalfdecadesof tyranny over Syria was over, thus ending over fifty years draconian dominion of the Assad dynasty over Syria. This was an exile long and well prepared for. In spite of the elaborate arrangements laid out by Putin for his unexpected guests, the Assad family had made serious arrangements for this eventuality.

With an estimated loot of over $2 billion tucked away in Russian and other banks, the Assad family owns a series of super luxury apartments worth over $40 million located in Moscow’s eight tallest apartment block. It is of course unlikely that the Assad clan would quarter in these luxury abodes in the immediate. For security and diplomatic reasons, they are more likely to be housed in specially provided dachas made available by their ubiquitous host with all VIP security protection arrangements.

Russia’s pretension as an honest broke had collapsed. It has sustained its patronage of Assad under the guise that it could get Assad to give up its chemical weapons arsenal and neutralize elements of ISIS in Syria. All that did not happen. In the wake of the Assad overthrow, Russia has played up a narrative that it encouraged Assad to surrender to a peaceful transfer of power. That, too, is a bogus lie concocted in case Syria becomes ungovernable, necessitating an Assad return.

Back in Damascus, a virtual street carnival and mob sight-seeing has gone on for over a week and half. The mob is out on a tour of the places that up until last week were hallowed ground of a despicable and dreaded tyrant. Fear is gone with the tyrant and left in its place the dread of uncertain freedom. Common folk have gone sightseeing and treasure- hunting in Assad’s palace. Common people are looting treasured art pieces, venturing into presidential bedrooms, savoring the remnant aroma from what used to be the presidential cuisine with alluring menus on wall display. On the streets, irate mobs have torn down huge posters and billboards of the fallen dictator. Poor people and plain street urchins are trampling on Assad posters and even urinating on them!

More tellingly, the Assad prison cells have been thrown open. People who have been in detention for decades are being released for the first time. Some can hardly remember their own names or theirpreciseidentity.Eventheirrelationscanhardly recognize them. Taken together, the Damascus postcards are quite familiar in all places where history overturns the bastions of autocracy and power absolutism.

The images and footages are familiar. Images of tumbling statues and opened up palaces: The CaecescusinRomania.FerdinandandImeldaMarcus in the Philippines, Haille Mengistu Mariam in Ethiopia, Saddam Hussein in Iraq. The postcards fromthepalacesoffleeingtyrantsandtriumphant street mobs carry a uniform imprint.

With the coordinated and mass supported rebel overrun of Damascus and the sacking of the Assadregime,thelongdrawn Syrianrevolutionary flourish that gathered momentum following the Arab Spring of 2011 has made land fall.The Arab Spring was a spontaneous street based revolt against authoritarian rulers in most of the Arab world. The revolt brought about varying degrees of political change and even regime changes in countriesasdiverseasLibya,Tunisia,Egypt,Yemen, Bahrain. In Syria, the revolt was beaten down with maximum ferocity by Bashar al-Assad following in the footsteps of his late father. Multiple faction rebellion followed and a bloody civil war ensued. Dissidents and rebels were hunted down, rounded up and killed, jailed, tortured or chased into exile. Those who survived organized into

factional rebel groups parading diverse ideologies and waging mostly religious fundamentalist crusades. But they all had one enemy- Assad and his autocratic regime. He in turn dug in and entrenched his dictatorship. He reinforced his military strength, tightened the levers ofrepression,andreducedthedemocratic freedoms of Syrians.

He reached out to Iran, Russia and Turkey as well as extremist terrorist groups in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories adjoining Israel. Assad alienated moderate Arab countries like Jordan which was presided over by his childhood palace friend, now King Abdallah, son of the late King Hussein.

Of course, Syria was a fertile ground for allmanneroffringereligious fundamentalist terrorists. All manner of international interests were aligned with the various rebel factions. ISIS found a safe haven in parts of Syria. The over 13 rebel groups opposed to Assad were supported by powerful local and international power interests:The US was poised against ISIS remnants.Turkeywaspitchedtothenorth in support of separatist Kurds seeking autonomy to the north of Syria. Iran, Saudi Arabia were digging for support and foothold in a regional power bazaar. Israel has remained fixated on the Golasn Heights. A multi pronged civil war erupted and raged since the Arab Spring.

Syria’s economy which had before the revoltboastedoneofthehighestGDPper capitaintheregionwasplungerintochaos and crisis. Poverty and mismanagement followed. The only feature of the Syrian state alive was the Assad presidency and its supporting military infrastructure.

What has united the rebel groups that havefinallytoppledandsackedtheAssad regime is a simplistic hunger for a civil, inclusive, sovereign and peaceful Syria. From their pronouncements so far, this hungerisabovetheirsectariandifferences. They have to fight to restore Syria, to ensure the return of normal social services and to mend the broken heart of a nation that was once a promising destination in

the Middle East.

Of all the rebel groups, HTS is easily the most prominent from the perspective of political influence. Led by Sharaa (Al-Jolani), a known terrorist on whose head the US has placed a bounty of $10 million. In the civil war years, HTS, supported by Turkey, was in power in the Idlib province where the imprints of his more liberal governance was in evidence.

There is evidence that he ran a more liberal version of Islamic fundamentalism. Some women wereallowednottowearhijab.Mendidnothaveto wearovergrownbeardswhileprofessionalwomen ran social services in health and education. Leading Western powers like the US and the UK who maintained a hard posture towards HTS and its leader now have to watch and see to what extent the moderation of factional leaders like Jolani can pervade the future government of Syria.

The defeat of the Assad regime has literally reduced Syria into a carcass for the hounds of international power. In a purported chase after remnants of ISIS and other trouble makers, the United States has not let off in its serial bombardment and strikes targeted at ISIS related rebel forces still operating in Syria.

Israel is feverishly pursuing its own national security interests by exploiting the period of statelessness in Syria to weaken a resurgent Syria as a staging post for hostile activity against the state of Israel. It is targeting chemical and biological weapons sites as well as military hardware locations. Israel is exploiting this period of vacuum to destroy whatever is left of the military capability of the Syrian state. It is carrying out multiple strikes per day. The strategic objective of these strikes is to weaken Syria and make it an unattractivedestinationforhostileactionsagainst Israel. These actions are also aimed at whittling down the influence of Iran in the neighborhood.

The neutralization of a humbled Syria can only add to Israel’s depletion of Hezbollah in Lebanon and the virtual devastation of Hamas in Gaza to create a more quiet neighbourhood for Israel. Unfortunately, these developments can hardly advance the cause of Palestinian statehood. Whatever negotiations take place now on the matter will only have the Arabs and Palestinians negotiating from a position of demonstrable weakness.

As a strategic influence in the region, Russia

has paid a price for its war against Ukraine. Clearly, the sacking of Assad is an indirect defeat of Russian influence in the region. Russia had lost the capacity to protect Assad regime in Syria given its exhaustion in Ukraine. With a casualty of over 350,000 dead Russian soldiers in Ukraine and the raging costs of the war on its economy with cripplingsanctions,Putinhadnodifficultyreaching the inevitable conclusion that Syria was no longer worth the trouble. Continued Russian involvement in Syria would impress no one in particular and be of no immediate strategic or economic interest. It is better off negotiating with whoever comes to rule Syria to protect whatever is left of Russian military hardware in Syria.

In every place where power places itself above responsiblegovernanceandthepursuitofthecommon good, the collapse of the Assad dynasty holds lessons. It is at once the lesson of absolutism as a temptation of power. It is also the lesson of the narrow pursuit of self -interest over and above the common interest and the collective good.

The transience of power is the most obvious lesson that has since been learnt by even the most pedestrian Banana Republic autocrat.They know power is transient hence they spend their days in office preparing for the decades they will spend after office. They know the things they are likely to miss out of office hence they spirit those things away to their retirement hideouts.

Above everything and relevant to every clime, the destruction of Syria and the eventual collapse of the Assad dynasty shows how the prospects and promise of a nation can be destroyed by the limitlesspowerappetiteofonefamilyandoneman.

For the Nigerian state in its present state of creaking disrepair, the fall of Assad’s tenuous autocracy demonstrates how easily a state besieged by multiple threats can eventually fall apart. For those in doubt, the threats that confront and could fell the Nigerian state are not far too different from the ones that afflicted Syria and led to the recent collapse.

These include: spiraling insecurity, random and casual violations of human and citizen rights, uncheckedsectariandivisions,unbridledcorruption amongpoliticalleadersandincreasingregionalism of political discourse and contest.

The Syrian postcard is specific. But its images areuniversalandapplyinevery nationwherepower gravitates towards absolutism.

Assad

email:duro.Ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

Ekong Backs Osimhen to Captain Super Eagles

Duro Ikhazuagbe

Victor

Osimhen is “a real leader” who will go on to captain the Super Eagles, according to the man who currently wears the team’s captain armband, William TroostEkong.

“He’s a great teammate, in front of the goal he can be very greedy, but he’s someone who speaks up for the team in the changing room, he’s a real leader and I’m sure he’ll be captain soon,” Ekong

Iwobi

in

told BBC’s Talksport.

Continuing, the AlKholood of Saudi Arabia Pro League side said: “The first time he joined us was in 2019 as the understudy to Odion Ighalo, but during the training we were so impressed.

“He always plays like it’s his last game of football, chasing down every ball and going for every header.

“Everything that looks like it shouldn’t be a chance, he makes it a chance, I think he’s one of the most feared strikers to play against,” recalled Ekong.

Having led Napoli to a first Serie A title in 33 years in 2023 with 26 league goals,

Osimhen reportedly signed a bumper contract at the club to get them full value when an eventual sale came.

However, with Napoli all over the place the following campaign, suitors quickly dried up, and new manager Antonio Conte wanted a reunion with Romelu Lukaku for the 2024/25 season.

Osimhen had previously been linked to Arsenal, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, but Troost-Ekong believes if the move does finally materialise, even as soon as January, his countryman is clear about where he wants to end up.

“I can tell you he’s a Chelsea fan, I can confirm that,” he revealed.

preMIer LeAGUe

Action for Fulham as Diogo Jota Rescues Point for Liverpool

Alex Iwobi was in action for all 90 minutes as Fulham were forced to a 2-2 draw by leaders Liverpool at Anfield yesterday evening.

Nigerian defender, Calvin Bassey was absent due to disciplinary infraction on the pitch.

The returning Diogo Jota scored a late equaliser as Premier League leaders Liverpool twice fought back with 10 men to deny Fulham following Andy Robertson’s red card.

Jota, sidelined with injury since October, slotted in an 86th-minute leveller after Rodrigo Muniz looked to have ended the Reds’ second-half resistance.

Cody Gakpo’s header from Mohamed Salah’s sublime cross shortly after half-time had cancelled out Andreas Pereira’s 11th-minute opener.

Six minutes after Pereira volleyed Fulham ahead, Liverpool’s task became even tougher when Robertson was dismissed for denying Harry Wilson a goalscoring opportunity.

While Fulham centreback Issa Diop had earlier escaped with a booking for a high challenge on the offside Robertson, there was no such fortune for the Liverpool left-back and a lengthy video assistant referee (VAR) review confirmed Wilson was onside before pouncing on his mistake.

After Wilson fizzed the resulting free-kick narrowly over Alisson’s goal, Liverpool reset lems - but Luis Diaz headed over the hosts’ best chance before

half-time.

However, a re-energised Liverpool stormed out of the blocks in the second half and Gakpo’s instant leveller after the restart sparked the Anfield cowd into life.

Fulham’s failure to capitalise on their numerical advantage fuelled Liverpool’s belief and Salah twice went close to completing the turnaround but could not find the target before Muniz delivered a sucker punch.

There was to be one final twist late in an enthralling contest when Jota marked his return with a fine finish to set up a chaotic, breathless conclusion, with both sides made to settle for a point.

After a thrilling 3-3 draw with Newcastle 10 days ago, Liverpool’s title rivals were able to make up further ground after last weekend’s Merseyside derby against Everton was postponed by severe weather.

But they extended their lead over Chelsea, who

host Brentford today, to five points after third-place Arsenal were held to a goalless drawby Everton.

New Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim

has already developed a reputation for blunt speaking.

Asked to look ahead to his first Manchester derby in the wake of his side’s 2-1 comeback Europa League victory over Czech side Viktoria Plzen, Amorim got straight to the point.

“It should be two great teams fighting for the title,” the Portuguese said. “But it is not that at the moment. Both teams are struggling.”

Current form is part of what is making this particular meeting between City and United, between blue and red, feel a bit odd.

It is only just over five weeks

NpFL: Kano pillars Crumble under Shooting Stars

ShootingStarsdefeated Kano Pillars 2-0 at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan on Saturday.

The Sai Masu Gida who are ravaged by injuries could not fightback to earn a point.

However, Joshua Akpan fired the Oluyole Warriors into the

lead one minute after the return from first half break.

Shooting Stars doubled their advantage through Adams Mustapha 12 minutes from time.

Elsewhere, inside the Lafia

City Stadium, Lobi Stars defeated Plateau United 1-0 to earn full marks at home. Waheed Adebayo netted the winning goal on dot of 45 minutes.

since Amorim was preparing to face City in the Champions League as manager of former club Sporting.

The home side’s thrilling 4-1, Amorim-inspired victorythat night was the third match in what has turned into an desperate run for defending champions City, who have won only once in their past 10

games, conceding 23 goals in the process.

Since Amorim replaced the sacked Erik ten Hag last month, United have taken four points from four Premier League games as they get used to a completely new system. Their last two league games ended in defeat by Arsenal and Nottingham Forest.

The

was Lobi Stars’ fourth victory in their last 15 games against Plateau United. For Plateau United, it was their eighth consecutive defeat on the road this season. Lobi Stars moved from bottom spot to 15th position on the log following the win.

Plateau United on the other hand dropped to 16th spot.

Only once since the 1991-92 season have neither United nor City managed to finish at least third in the English top flight. City are presently fourth. United are 13th. This Mancunian confrontation feels like a throwback to the 1980s, when City and United were generally a considerable distance off being title winners, and the sub-plots on Sunday are fascinating. Manchester City have won just once since 26 October. Listen to City boss Pep Guardiola and the reason for this stunning reversal of fortunes is all about the schedule. It is the packed schedule, Guardiola believes, that has led to the injuries that have decimated his squad. The most grievous blow is undoubtedly the cruciate knee ligament damage suffered by Rodri.

win

Victor Osimhen...Super Eagles future captain

Manchester United Manager Ruben Amorim (right) and Pep Guardiola will be on the touchline as United and City battle in the derby fixture this afternoon Ferdinand jokes Guardiola ‘will be scared’ after Amorim oversees ...

Jota Iwobi

Bala Mohammed to Tinubu

“There are those in your cabinet and around you that are both creating bad eggs. They are making you fail, and we don’t want you to fail because we will be affected” – Bauchi State Governor, Mohammed, advising President Tinubu to focus on governance and remove those he described as excess baggage from his administration.

SIMO N KOLAWOLE

Random Thoughts on Ghanaian Elections

Did you know that Nigeria and Ghana were once one country? Maybe I didn’t put that properly, but in the late 1800s, Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Cameroon and The Gambia made up the British West African Territories, later renamed British West African Settlements, and had the same military, customs and police under one colonial administration. In fact, between 1907 and 1962, they spent the same currency — the British West African pound. You will find so many similarities between Nigeria and Ghana (need I mention the jollof rice?) but, ironically, our political cultures differ. I found their December 7 general election so fascinating that I cannot escape penning my thoughts on it.

No, I was not fascinated because Mr Mahamudu Bawumia, the candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), conceded the presidential election to Mr John Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) before the final result was announced. This, to be sure, is not that strange in Ghana. Several times in the past, losing candidates gracefully accepted defeat. Bawumia, who is the outgoing vice-president, has boosted his credentials ahead of the 2028 general election by not being a bitter loser. The NPP lost by the highest margin of any party since 1996. The vote difference of nearly 1.7 million is huge. The NDC now has double the seats of the NPP in parliament — another record from 1996.

Conceding the presidential election is a rare commodity in Nigeria. It has happened only once in our history — in 2015 when President Goodluck Jonathan called and congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari. Some said it was no big deal, but we have been holding presidential elections since 1979 and no other losing candidate has accepted defeat till date. Let me modify that. In 1993, Alhaji Bashir Tofa “congratulated” Bashorun MKO Abiola before the announcement of the final result. It turned out both candidates had agreed to prepare congratulatory statements but Tofa’s message was mischievously leaked in the heat of the annulment politics. He swiftly denied the statement.

I somehow find it fascinating that since 1996, Ghanaians hold their general election on December 7 every four years — and it doesn’t matter what day of the week it falls. It could be a Friday or a Sunday. In Nigeria, our elections must hold on Saturdays, otherwise there will be war. An attempt by the electoral commission to fix the 2003 elections during the Easter weekend was met with staunch opposition, and there is enough caution to not let the voting day “clash” with Ramadan. By the way, there is no movement restriction on election days in Ghana. The economy is not locked down. But we don’t believe an election can hold in Nigeria without a curfew. We are a special breed, aren’t we?

The most fascinating thing about Ghanaian elections for me is the tradition of ruling parties losing the general election. It is almost like it is programmed. It is becoming like the US where the Democrats and Republicans frequently alternate power. A part of me sees this as evidence of political maturity. Another part says something else and I will discuss that shortly. But, by and large, Ghanaians have devised their own “power rotation” (as a senior friend puts it) between the two biggest parties — the NDC and NPP. In Nigeria, it took the opposition 16 years to unseat the ruling party. Many fans and enthusiasts of democracy would prefer this to happen more frequently.

This tradition, or culture, took off on a rough note in 1992. Flight Lt JJ Rawlings had overthrown a military government in June 1979, installed a democratically elected administration in September of the same year, and overthrown the civilian government in 1981. He went on to rule Ghana as a military dictator for 11 years before finally bowing to the campaign for democracy in 1992. He founded the NDC, transmuted to a civilian president and ruled for two terms of four years each — the constitutional term-limit. Credit

to him for putting a limit: most African military dictators simply transmute to “democratically elected” leaders and immediately begin a journey into life presidency.

The 1992 elections did not really go down well with the opposition. Rawlings was the candidate of the Progressive Alliance, which was made up of his NDC, National Convention Party (NCP) and the hilariously named Every Ghanaian Living Everywhere (EGLE). Rawlings formed the alliance to be able to withstand the NPP at the ballot and he won 58 percent of votes, leaving NPP’s Prof Albert Adu Boahen trailing with 30 percent. Opposition candidates cried foul, accused Rawlings of electoral fraud, and boycotted the parliamentary elections in protest. But allegations of electoral fraud aside, the opposition parties were too fragmented and weak to make a dent on the Rawlings-led coalition.

In 1996, Rawlings easily retained power: as the incumbent and Ghanaian leader for 15 years non-stop, that was not something to be unexpected. Even though his coalition — the Progressive Alliance — was re-elected with almost the same margin in the 1992 election, the opposition parties were collaborating better. Mr John Kufuor’s Great Alliance, made up of his NPP, and ironically, the same NCP that aligned with the NDC in 1992, put up a brave fight but lost. Mr Kow Nkensen Arkaah, the vice-president, was the leader of the NCP but having fallen out with Rawlings, he decided to run with Kufuor. The opposition parties complained less this time: they admitted they had more work to do.

The 2000 election was a different ball game. The opposition parties were better organised, better resourced and better prepared this time. Kufuor ran again, this time against NDC’s Prof John Atta Mills, Rawlings’ VP who replaced Arkaah. Contrary to fears of violence, the election went peacefully and NPP defeated the ruling party and a sitting vice-president after two rounds of voting. Rawlings lost power, in a sense, after having ruled Ghana for 19 years on the trot. The NDC was displaced from power after just two terms by the man who had lost to Rawlings four years earlier. This was considered the ultimate model of civilian-to-civilian transition in developing democracies.

Kufuor got his second term in 2004 by defeating Mills again, this time without a run-off. But Kufuor’s NPP lost power in 2008 as Ghanaians decided to show the ruling party the red card — the second

time in 16 years. And it was third time lucky for Mills, who defeated NPP’s Nana Akufo-Addo, the former attorney-general and minister of justice. Mills needed a run-off to win the closest election in Ghanaian history. Akufo-Addo led the first round with 49.13 percent while Mills had 47.92 per cent. But having not scored the required half of the total votes, Akufo-Addo faced a tension-soaked run-off that ended with less than one percent margin in favour of Mills, the law professor-turned-politician. The next three elections were something you could never make up: Akufo-Addo vs Mahama all the way. Mahama was vice-president to Mills, who died a few months to the 2012 elections. Mahama was sworn in to replace Mills as required by the constitution. He then had a go at presidency. He defeated Akufo-Addo, who was now losing for the second time in a row. But both of them squared off again in 2016 and Akufo-Addo finally won — at third try. That was the third time a ruling party would be sent packing. Akufo-Addo defeated Mahama again in 2020. Now, Mahama has defeated Akufo-Addo’s vice-president to return to power. And this is the fourth time a ruling party would lose. Meanwhile, why is another part of me feeling uneasy with this Ghana “power rotation”? I would say that sometimes voters judge wrongly by blaming all the economic misery on the ruling party. The fundamentals of many African economies are not right and changing governments hardly solves the major problems. If the structure of the economy is warped, implementing major changes can hurt the citizens who will now take it out on the ruling party and vote them out. But years down the line, they will look back and say “even the previous government was not this bad”. They choose another party again but the problems remain. This is good for democracy but it can equally be very tricky.

Let me illustrate. When Ghanaians voted out Mahama in 2016, the national currency had fallen to an average of GH¢4 to the dollar. Voters were angry because it was GH¢1.95/$ when Mahama became caretaker president in 2012. They voted him out in favour of Akufo-Addo but things only got worse (it is now GH¢16/$ with the attendant impact on the cost of living). Voters were angry again and began to yearn for a return to the “good old days” when NDC was in power. Well, NDC is back but if the economic fundamentals do not change (and reform can come with more pains), it could be GH¢30/$ by 2028 when another election is due. And voters would again long for the “good old days” of NPP.

For me, though, the major positive in the unofficial “power rotation” is that people own the democracy. It belongs to all. It is in the interest of everyone that the democratic order is maintained. The opposition parties have a stake. The voters have a stake. Part of the frustration with our democracy in Nigeria is the notion that you have to be in the ruling party to win. This has led to a culture of defections to the ruling party and the weakening of opposition and competition. It is almost like you are wasting your time being in the opposition. Some PDP members have not forgiven Jonathan for conceding to Buhari in 2015 and failing to use state machinery to hold tight to power.

Democracy is sweeter when the field is level and participants are given a fair crack of the whip. When people go into elections already feeling defeated, the competitive feature of democracy is in ruins. A level-playing field allows for promotion of alternative ideas. The possibility that a ruling party can lose an election should also, ordinarily, propel incumbents to deliver the goods. It should serve as an incentive for performance in order to retain power. It has the potential to curtail complacency. At a time in Nigeria, to get the PDP ticket was the most critical thing. Winning the actual election was a mere formality. The APC has now fully replaced the PDP in this aspect of the game. It is what it is.

And Four Other Things…

RIVERS DISORDER

The court of appeal on Friday set aside a federal high court order restraining the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from disbursing financial allocations to the Rivers state government. The federal high court did not have any constitutional power on the finances of states, the appellate court ruled. Even those of us who did not study law knew that the federal high court ruling was completely out of order, but we could only shake our heads in disbelief and despair. The conduct of some judges in matters relating to Rivers state will have to come under the intense scrutiny of the National Judicial Council (NJC) because some of these pronouncements do not make any sense at all. Troubling.

TJ’S TRAUMA

Tijjani Babangida, former Super Eagles’ player, has spoken out about one of the most traumatic experiences a human being can ever have. In an accident on Kaduna-Zaria road early 2024, he lost his younger brother, Ibrahim, who also played for Nigeria at cadet level. His one-year-old son, Fadil, died from his injuries. The nanny had a fracture. The wife lost an eye and had to undergo facial reconstruction. “After three months in the Netherlands, I was finally able to tell her that our child was in the car when the accident took place. She [asked] about his name. She can’t remember anything about him,” Babangida said in a documentary by his former club, Ajax. Heartbreaking.

SOCIAL MALAISE

An affliction that the social media has brought upon the human race is the ease with which people fabricate malicious and defamatory tales. Someone recently forwarded a post to me and asked if it was true. It was something about Hon Bello el-Rufai, federal lawmaker and son of the former governor of Kaduna. I did not think twice before replying that it was fake. The figures quoted in naira and dollars in the post were insane. I was shocked that some people believed it and even shared it on social media. A lawyer has apologised for sharing without verifying. The character assassination on social media cannot go on like this, otherwise we should just kiss civilisation goodbye. Disgusting.

NO COMMENT

Are you following events in Syria? They have a new saviour named Abu Muhammad al-Golani. He led the rebel groups to overthrow the government of President Bashar Al-Assad, the dictator who came to power in 2000 to replace his dictator father who had died after almost thirty years in power. Father and son took turns to terrorise Syrians before a group of terrorists decided to put an end to the reign of terror. Al-Golani, the rebel leader, was a member of Al-Qaeda at some point and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). He was once jailed for terrorism. Syrians are happy that the Devil has overthrown Satan. Al-Golani is even enjoying good coverage in the Western media. Wonderful.

Mahama